The Best Gift Of All
by silente faery
Summary: If Danny never met his parents, how would he grow up? DxS AU [Complete] The rest is left to your imagination...
1. Prologue

A/N: I know I should be working on my other non-complete stories, but this idea came to me one day and it wouldn't be appropriate to hold it off since it's Christmas-oriented, so there you go. It's nice DS fluff for you. If you think this should be continued, put it in your review and I'll continue. Only this first part is around Christmastime anyways.  And just so you know, some of the typos were made on purpose for speech effect. Enjoi reading! I just hope their not too OOC…--0

The Best Gift of All

"Mommy, Daddy! Hey, wake up, it's the day!" A young girl yelled out anxiously, stirring her parents awake.

"Can I open my presents now, huh can I? Can I, please?" She said, giving the goo-goo-eye look.

Her parents couldn't resist.

"Of course Sammy-kins, they're downstairs. But won't you wait a few minutes; we were going to open them at the same time after breakfast sweetie."

"O-kieeee…" Sam whined, and then trotted downstairs to wait at the kitchen table. For a while she looked expectantly at the door, but no one came down. So she sat there, bored, twiddling her thumbs at the table.

When her folks finally came down, it was already 8:25 A.M. By that time Sam had already turned red in the face, and the maid girl, Belinda, had already started fixing the pancakes. They sat at the table, eyeing their daughter, who was only a mere seven years old. She was quite mature for her age, already being concerned about things that mattered in the real world, although her choice was very…childish. Such things were: save the rabbits, eat Mother Nature's food, don't kill the cute little animals for eating, and so on. And she was still so innocent.

Belinda set the pancakes at the table.

"Mmm! Finally!" Sam exclaimed, and dug in. Her mother sighed. Boy she always loved the holidays, and Belinda's special potato pancakes were only a small part of the reason.

"Can I open the presents now, can I? Huh, huh?" she pleaded.

"Fine…" they dismissed her, and she ran to where they were assembled, wrecking havoc as she went. As she tore threw bundles of presents, quickly glancing to see if they were for her or not, until her hungry eyes set sight on the biggest, most humongous present ever.

"Is that…for me?" She asked her mom, pulling on the edge of her dress.

"Of course honey. That's from your uncle from Wisconsin. Remember him?"

"Oh yeah, Uncle Steve. Wow it's big!"

"Want me to get the butler to carry it up to your room for you?"

Sam nodded. The butler picked up the box, and carried it up the stairs to her room.

As he left, he said "That sure is one big present. It seemed to move as I was carrying it and it's quite heavy. Do you want help getting it out?"

"No I'm fine," Sam replied sweetly, and he departed, closing the door shut behind him.

'Now to see what's in the box.' Sam thought. She first tore off the wrapping and the tag.

"E-loo-sieve Gift basket," she read. "P.S. Love Uncle Steve. YAY!"

She tore open the box, and was surprised to see a boy sleeping.

'What's a boy doing in the box? Is he…a gift?' She poked him. He didn't stir. She poked again. He turned around and fell asleep.

Poke. Poke. Poke, poke, poke. He stirred.

"…Wah?" He asked sleepily, yawning. He tried to push himself up but only ended up knocking himself and the box over.

"Owwie!" He exclaimed, Sam giggling at his antics.

"What?" He said, staring suspiciously at her. "Who are yous, anyway?"

"Me? I'm Sam. Are yous my present?"

"I am?" He looked at himself, and found that he was in a box. "Where am I?" He asked the girl, confused.

"In my room. What's your name?"

"Danny."

"Where do you live?"

"Live?"

"I mean, where do your mommy and daddy live?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know!" Sam asked, shocked.

"I mean, I don't really remember them. I was taken a long time ago from my parents. I can hardly remember them, and I only can truly see them in my dreams."

"Oh so who do you live with?"

"This guy, who makes me call him Uncle Vlad, though I know he's not my real uncle. He took me; at least that's what I want to think. He said my daddy and mommy didn't want me anymore, and that they gave them to him. He said that I should feel lucky to live with him. He was mean to me."

"So…that's why you're with me?"

"I don't know how I got here. I ran away from the Uncle Vlad. Then this guy picked me up off the street…then that's all I can remember."

"Oh…" She didn't know what to say. It this boy wasn't her present, then why was he in the box?

"You won't tell anybody, right Sammy? That I ran away? I don't wanna go back to mean 'ol Vlad again…" Danny whined, looking at Sam piteously.

"Danny, I…"

"PWEASE DON'T! I don't wanna go back, EVER!" he said, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Uh okie Danny, I pwromise I won't tell anybody, okie? You know boys aren't supposed to cry."

"So?" he sniffled, attempting to wipe his tears away.

"Oh come here ya big baby," she said, then gave him a bear hug. Immediately he stopped crying.

"You know," he started shyly. "You remind me of Jazzy."

"Jazzy?" Sam inquired.

"I don't remember who she is but I know you act like her, hehe."

Sam stood around for a moment, and then popped the question:

"Do you…want to stay with me? So you don't have to go back to uncle Vlad? You know, become part of the family?"

"Nos!" Danny snapped. "I don't wanna be related to you. You're a nice girl, and I wanna be friends with you. But I don't want to be adopted. I wanna be free to look for my family, and one day, be with my mommy and daddy again. Ok?"

"Then, do you wanna stay in my room? I'll take care of you! I wanna help you find your mommy and daddy too, so you won't be a big baby anymore."

Danny scowled at that, but then smiled.

"Ok Sammy, thanks." He said, hugging her again.

"Ok. You can stay in here." She said, pointing to the closet. "I don't use it much anyways."

"Thanks Sammy. I think we'll always be the bestest friends. You're not like other girls, you know? Always weird…it was very nice to meet you." He said then went threw the door.

Sam quickly pulled some blankets and a pillow off of her bed and handed them to Danny. Then she heard someone coming up the stairs. She shut the door.

"Hey!" Danny said, shocked.

"Shh! Someone's coming." He quieted after that.

She jumped into her bed and pulled up the covers. The door opened and her mom peeked in.

"Honey," she asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine mommy, I'm just tired."

"Ok honey. I'll send Belinda to come tell you when it's time for lunch, ok?"

Sam nodded. The door closed just as the light was turned off.

After a while, Sam asked aloud:

"Danny?"

"Yeah Sammy?'

"Are you…afraid of the dark?"

"Not anymore. After I lived with Uncle Vlad. He doesn't like the dark, hehe. Are yous?"

"No. I like it."

For a moment it was quiet.

"Danny?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"I think I love you."

"Me too Sammy. I think, this has been the bestest Christmas ever in my entire life."

At this Sam smiled. As she nodded off to sleep, only one thought ran through her head: 'This is the bestest gift I have ever gotten.'

THE END.


	2. Ch1: New Year Secrets

A/N: About time I updated, even though not too many people liked it, hehe. There will be a few more chapters when they're kids, then I'll get to the good part. For now, this is just plot build. Also, in this story Sam lives in Emerald Valley first. And there, they don't have too much of a winter break, if you know what I mean. For now, enjoy the next chapter!

The Best Gift of All-Chapter 1: New Year Secrets

It had been one year since she had met Danny. They first had met, ironically enough, on the day after Christmas, present to receiver. Now, they were merely best friends, sticking together always. Currently, they were walking to their third grade class at Amethyst Elementary. To make the trip quicker, they would always play tag (without times of course) and run all the way there. Too bad they never left on time though. They ran, giggling frequently, through the double doors and to their classroom, room 171. They barely plopped in their seats before they heard the bell ring. The teacher sighed, and then said to them: "You barely made it. Now, let's begin roll."

At lunchtime, Danny and Sam were sitting in the sandbox, tossing a ball that Sam had brought to school with her. Usually they would just play in silence but today, something agitated Danny.

"Sam?" He tossed the ball to her.

"What, Danny?" She caught it, and then tossed it back.

"Do you ever wonder…why the schools here are all named after stones?" Catch. Throw.

"…Gems." Catch. Throw.

"What?" The ball hits him in the face. He sputters, and then tosses it back.

"They're not stones, Danny. They're **gems**."

"O-okay then. Gems. Why're they all named after gems?" The game paused.

"I dunno…maybe because of the city name. You know, in Brightvale, they named the schools after bright things, like Sunshine, Daylight, and Floral. And in Dimmsdale, they name their schools after Dim stuff, whoever or whatever dim is, anyways. Because we live in Emerald Valley, all the schools are named after gems because…Emerald is a type of gem I guess."

"Oh."

He paused, and then Sam tossed the ball to him again. But this time, a blonde kid, otherwise known as Rick intercepted.

"Now, you wouldn't need this, now would you kids?" He said in a mockingly sweet fashion.

Sam stared at the ball, and tears began to leak out. After taking one look at her distress, Danny retorted at Rick:

"Yes! Give that back now!"

"Why should I? I decided that I don't want to give it back."

"Doesn't your class have a ball to use?"

"No…we fifth graders don't have many things that you guys do. Now, be a pal and share? It's not yours anyway, it's school property."

"That's not the school's, it's Sam's! Now give it back!" Sam started to cry.

"No! It's mine now, and even if you stick up for your girlfriend, you won't get it!"

Danny was at a loss at what to do. Rick was a fifth grader, and he had no chance at fighting him. And Sam needed her ball back. He resorted to the only thing left.

"Teacher! Teacher! Rick took our ball! Tell him to give it back!"

"Shut that kid up!" Rick ordered his pals. They did not want to risk lunch detention, but they didn't know that it was already too late: the alarm was sounded.

His buddies noticed, and ran.

"Hey wait up!" Rick yelled, but it was to no avail. He then saw Danny.

"You!" He picked him up.

"Hey! Leggo of me!"

Rick took off running, and Sam ran after him. The ball lay discarded in the sandbox. He ran into the storage room, and found what looked to be a box. 'There we go!' he thought, then shoved Danny in the box.

"Stop wriggling," he told him, and closed the lid with a bang. Then cackling, he left poor Sam to deal with opening the box.

"Danny?" She asked an empty room. She only got a muffled reply.

"Danny?" She asked, more assured. "Danny, where are you?"

A box rattled. She ran towards it, and then put her ear to it.

"Danny?" Danny whined. "Don't worry; I'll get you out of there!"

She tugged at the lid, but it wouldn't budge. She fingered around the top, and then found a keyhole. 'A key?' she thought.

"Danny, I have to find the key," she said to him, but he didn't respond.

"When I find the key I'll get you outta there!" 'Too bad I can't see that well,' she mused, and then set to work, crawling on her hands and knees and feeling around for a key. She continued for an hour but it was fruitless. She started to cry again.

All of a sudden, the room turned cold, and she shivered. She turned to her left, and saw…a ghost! She began to panic, but it said to her:

"Relax, I'm just here to get my box. For I am The Box Ghost! And you are?"

"S-sam." She stuttered, then thought for a moment.

"E-excuse me? Co-could you p-possibly get my f-friend out of the box?"

"Is he stuck?"

"Yeah, and I can't find the key to getim out. C-can you help him?"

"No problem! For I am the box ghost! And anything is possible when there's boxes involved!"

He inspected the box. "Hmm…" He scratched his chin. Sam took this time to examine him. He was pretty fat and looked like he was- or had been – a janitor. But her thoughts were interrupted:

"Ahah! I got it!" He exclaimed, and at that moment an astral light seemed to come from him. He pointed his hands towards the keyhole and the box popped open, just like that. Sam immediately dived towards it and reached inside. She pulled out a very pale boy.

"Danny?" His response was to dive into her arms and sob his heart out, while coughing hysterically.

"You okie?" He hugged her tighter, crying "Sammy" over and over.

"Assuming my work here is done, I will now take this box so I can use it to take over the world!" The Box Ghost said, and then disappeared, along with the box, leaving the two hugging third graders alone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Danny?" Sam asked him as they were walking home.

"Yeah?" He replied quietly, clutching to her hand. He hadn't let go since after school let out.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I can't breathe," he said, patting his chest.

"There was no air in the box?"

"Nope."

"Okie then. At least you're out now. Lookit, we're almost home!" She said.

They were right in front of her house. She rang the doorbell. The butler answered.

"Oh, welcome home Miss Manson. And you've brought your friend, Danny with you again?"

"Uh huh!"

"Ok then," he said, and stepped inside, allowing them passage.

Once they were safely in her room, she closed the door behind her.

"Whew!" She sighed, wiping her forehead.

"Danny, why don't you go rest," she said to him, shooing him in the closet, his makeshift bed. She closed the door behind him. At that same moment her mom came in.

"Samantha, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Mommy." With that, she sat on her bed.

"Baby, I was just concerned about your strange behavior. Are you feeling ok, sweetie?"

"I'm fine, Mommy. I've just been feeling a little tired."

"You always go to bed early, and…oh well, get some rest, Samantha." And she left. She peeked back in, saying:

"Did your friend leave yet?"

"Yes," she replied sweetly, even though he hadn't. After a year had gone past, she was used to hiding him. After that, her mother finally left.

After making sure the door was secured, she knocked on the closet door.

"Danny! We have to get ready."

"For what Sam?" came the reply.

"For the New Year, of course! Didn't you ever have a party?"

"Not with Unc…Vlad. I don't remember if I ever had one with my real family…"

"It's ok, we're having one now! I'll be back soon after I help mommy and daddy fix up. They always like fixing up for New Years themselves to make it **extra** special! Ok?"

After a few hours hanging up things and setting out confections, the party was set up. When the people came, her mother insisted on showing her off. When she finally got away from her parents and the guests, she snuck back up to her room with some stuff from the party. She and Danny had a blast with the blowers (whatever they're called, I still don't know, and that's bad!), and when the clock turned 12, there was so much noise going on that they couldn't hear themselves speak.

"Danny," she said directly in his ear.

"What Sam?"

"I have someplace to show you. Let's go!" She said, tugging him out of the closet.

"But Sammy, I don't think we should be leaving, what if your mom gets worried about you?"

"She won't notice. Come on! It won't take long. We have to see the firework show!"

Danny finally conceded, letting Sam drag him out the window to the ladder.

They walked to the park, taking in the full view of the beautiful colors lighting up the sky.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Sam asked in awe.

"Yeah, thanks for forcing me to come Sam."

"Your welcome."

They turned around to leave, but was stopped by a stern-looking man.

"I've finally found two perfect nominees," He said to himself, before hitting them both in the neck, giving them no time to scream. He picked them up and walked away with them, chuckling.


	3. Ch2: A Foreboding Congregation

A/N: Sorry I took so long updating, but I was depressed at getting only 4 reviews…by the way, If you read this story and don't review, please do, because that will help me update faster! The other part of my reason was that I was sick all week. I'm also raising the rating for this chapter. Please don't have a nasty mind about this first chapter, it's just a hug, from the Uncle!(About next chapter is when the most important plot development occurs so be patient! Then after that, I'm all done with the kid stuff). Well, enjoy the next installment of this story! I wish I got more reviews…my story's just as good TT…

The Best Gift Ever - Chapter 2: A Foreboding Congregation

The birds were chirping loudly, stirring him from deep slumber. He yawned deeply, then looked around and realized…he was in someplace very familiar, but it didn't seem to want to come to him immediately. At once he thought of Sam, but when he didn't see her, he figured that he was just dreaming.

'After all, Sam is always with me,' he thought. 'She wouldn't have left me for anything.'

The door creaked open, and a head peaked in. Danny gasped.

"Uncl-"

"Why, it's a pleasure to see you again, young Daniel. Did you miss me?"

In a few strides, he covered the distance to Danny's bed and sat down next to him. Danny scooted back from him.

"You know, I was worried about you, where have you been? I'm lucky I saw you while heading out in my helicopter…otherwise I think I'd never see you again."

He reached over to hug him, but Danny slapped his hand away. In response, he slapped his face harshly, and then hugged him close.

"Always the feisty one, eh? Why would you push your 'ol Uncle away? You should know better. Anyways…"

Danny cut him off. "Where's Sammy!" he demanded.

"Oh, you mean that girl you were with, yes? Don't worry, she's fine. You'll get to see her soon, as long as you behave. Now, as I was saying, where did you meet her?"

"Who?"

"That girl…whatever you called her."

"At school. Now let go of me!"

"Why would I do that, you're my son."

"No I'm not!"

"Of course you are, you were as soon as your stupid parents gave me to you after they didn't want you anymore. You are lucky that I want you. Otherwise you would be alone, where you belong."

"I belong to be with my parents!"

"Not anymore, for you see…"

He was in the position to strike when a loud wail interrupted his train of thought.

"Oh." He said, once again assured.

"It's your friend, quite the noisemaker if you ask me. She creates lots of fuss. You won't mind if I bring her in here, will you? I thought so; you were such a good little boy…"

And with that, he walked out of the room. Danny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He couldn't stop thinking about Sam; he was extremely worried about her.

'What's that Vlad going to do with her? Will he take her back to her family?'

But he couldn't rely on 'ol Uncle Vlad to take her back, for he had millions of corrupted tricks up his sleeves to deceive. No, he would have to take the matter into his own hands…

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you're awake, I see." A voice said.

Sam blinked her blurry eyes and tried to take a look around. Not far from her in the room was a middle-aged man in a chair, twiddling his fingers ever so slightly.

"Who…where…am I?" She barely put together, her mind still foggy.

"Why you're here with me, Uncle Vlad. It's a pleasure to meet you, Samantha, dear. I know you'll be quite pleased to know that you don't ever have to go home again…"

Sam gasped loudly.

-----------------------------------

"Phone, phone, where's the stinking phone!" Danny ran from room to room. 'If I can't find the phone, I can't get Sam home. And If I can't get Sam home, I can't get away from Vlad…" He slid to a stop. He came to a room with tons of weird equipment, and…a phone. 'Finally!' He dialed the number: 232-232-2323. Then came the dial tone…

"Hello, Manson residence." The butler answered the phone.

"Hello there. This is Sammy's friend Danny, remember?"-

"Yes? You have to be quick. We're about to leave the house."

"Tell them please, Sammy and I were kidnapped!"

"Wait, hold up. Where are you?"

"In Wisconsin. You know, the multi-billionaire, Vlad Master's house?"

"Yes, thank you. We will be there immediately. Take care."

Danny hung up the phone.

------------------------------------------

Sam was being led to a room on the second floor. She eyed everything warily.

"Where's Danny?" she asked cautiously, her eyes darting every which way.

"You'll see him soon, oh yes you will…"

But, very peculiarly, he was interrupted by a pair of sirens. The glass shattered.

"Hold your hands up…"

"Oh hunny, we're so glad to have found you in under," Sam's mom started, and then looked at her clock. "66 seconds. We just happened to be over at a meeting in Wisconsin when the Butler said that you were kidnapped and over here. We're just glad to have found you."

"Come on let's go. And get your friend."

Danny came running in from the kitchen room, panting. Sam immediately went over to him, grabbed his hand, and tugged him with her.

"Danny, Danny!" Vlad said, though ignored. "Don't leave your father, your father…"

The police sighed, labeling him as crazy.

In the helicopter, Sam's parents chatted in the front seat on their cell phones. When they hung up, they announced:

"Sammy-pumpkin, we're going to move! Our new house is going to be perfect for us. The houses are cheap, but the value on it is tremendous. I know you'll love it!"

Sam turned to Danny and sighed. Now how was Danny going to come?

If you answer quiz questions, you can build up points for special drawing/poetry requests for me, or you can just answer for fun. Ok: What is the sexual innuendo in "Control Freaks"? Have a nice day, and please review!


	4. Ch3: Arrival

A/N: Sorry if people think I took a long time to update. Just so you know, I take a long time to update. I already know where I'm going with this story but I have finals so…yeah. And I'm sorry I have to split this chapter. The next chapter will be when they meet Tucker and Jazz. And the meeting will not be how you expect it to be… Enjoy this latest installment! And yes, I hated the last chapter too…

The Best Gift Ever: Chapter 3: Arrival

"We're home!" Sam's mom announced to the empty room.

The attendants scuffled behind her, moving things and setting them up in a flash. After all, that's what they were paid for.

"That plane ride was a drag, but it was all worth it!" Her father said, and then plopped down in a chair that was just set up by one of the attendants.

Sam just groaned.

"Of course," her mom continued. "We would have told you before, but it wasn't built yet! Well, the house was built, but we had to purchase add-ons and that takes some time. You do understand, right Sammy dear?"

Sam groaned yet again.

"Oh," her mom said understandingly. "You miss your little friend. Don't worry; you'll get many new friends here."

'Great," Sam thought. 'Those words make me feel so happy. Good thing I snuck my 'present' with me.' She chuckled, then eyed as one of the attendants tugged a medium sized box up the stairs to her room, supposedly.

When she saw her parents looking at the box which was currently disappearing from view, she said to them: "I just can't leave that one behind. It's my favorite toy!"

"Ok then honey, I'm glad you're enjoying what your uncle gave you. I just don't understand why it had to be so big…" They walked off into the master bedroom, which was just set up.

Sam walked upstairs to watch her room being set up

After the attendants left her room, she shut the door behind her, sighing.

"Now that I have you all to myself…" she half muttered to herself, then set to work. She pulled open the top flap of the box and Danny popped out immediately, apparently exhausted.

"Finally!" he said, exasperated. "Do you know how long I was waiting for you to free me from this box? I feel like I've waited forever and a half! Thanks, Sammy dear."

He liked calling her dear for some reason. It came so naturally to him and felt so…right.

"No prob. By the way, when my mommy gets the papers to be in school, I'll steal some for you."

"But what about the siggy-natures?"

"Don't worry about it, Danny-wanny! We'll make fake ones. After all, that's what we did last time. No one will notice, as usual."

"Ok then! You're right, as usual."

"I know I am."

Danny learned a few days after he met Sam that it's not worth arguing with her. She'd always win, and if not, she'd make his life a living ghost. Though he wasn't sure if he'd turn to a ghost in actuality, he didn't want to risk it. Then if he did turn to a live ghost, all the ghosts would tear his heart out, or something else atrocious-like. He didn't want to think about the possibilities.


	5. Ch4: New Sensations

A/N: I'm back again, to torture you all! My birthday is this month, and on the same day as when King Tuck is showing, weird huh? Anyways, this chap is the most important! It's when he finally grows up into who we all know & love today, after he runs into a certain someone…then comes the real plot! All the chaps so far were just the background info. So prepare to actually enjoi this latest installment! And when it first starts, you're in for a surprise…Wow…it's really a plane…

The Best Gift Ever: Chapter 4: New Sensations

Danny stared at it. It was small, and fit perfectly to him in every way. He traced his finger down its intricate curves and vectors all the way down to the foot. He embraced it. After deciding he was finally ready for this perfect moment, he took it and pushed it deeper and deeper until he finally got to the opening. He almost completed inserting it until…

"Danny!" He heard his darling yell.

"What are you trying to do to me? Do you want my parents to find out? Now put that key back around your neck and stop trying to open my door right now or I'll kill you!"

Danny slouched in place, and then sat back down in the wicker chair that was located right by her bed.

"Ok then, sorry," Danny replied, then reached out and gave her a quick hug as she passed by.

"Come on now, we're going to be late for school!" Sam said with emphasis, shrugging out of his embrace.

"Hurry up and climb down the ladder so I can close the window. I don't know why you wanted to open up the door in the first place…ughh!"

Danny obeyed. He climbed out of the window and grabbed onto the bracers, then slowly stepped down the ivy-covered ladder. Two months ago, Sam had first found the ladder at a yard sale outside their school. The woman selling it sold it to her for a dollar because no one else wanted it just because it had rotten wood on the outside. After it sat there for a while, the surrounding ivy made it their home. Now, her parents couldn't move the ladder even if they wanted to. But now that he thought about it, they hadn't even noticed it. Maybe it was a good thing that the ivy grew on it then after all.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he heard the window slam shut, then feet shuffling, then the door opening and closing. He sighed, and then walked in front of the door. As soon as he got there, Sam darted out of the door, slammed it, then tugged his hands as she yelled, "We only have a few minutes to get to school, come on!"

Danny had no choice but to follow the direction of her tugs. Parents put too much trust in their children nowadays, or maybe it was just hers…

-----

They burst through the door to the classroom, gasping desperately for breath. They barely scrambled to their desks before the bell rang. Ms. Tanaka sighed, shaking her head. Her thoughts ran around the lines "Boy those children are barely on time every morning. Why don't they wake up earlier?" every time the bell rang. Then she sat in her desk and rang the bell on her desk once before setting it back down.

"Now settle down class," she announced.

"Take out your math books first today. We are now going to learn the trick behind dividing fractions. So, play close attention…"

-----

At recess time, all the boys and girls shuffled outside to play. Sam looked around only to not see Danny. She swerved desperately and began to grow dizzy after loosing sight of him so quickly. But when she looked outwards towards the handball courts she saw Danny waving avidly at her with a handball locked in the grip of his right arm.

"Wanna play with me, Sammy?" He yelled to her.

"Uh…Ok then Danny," she said, and then ran in his direction.

All of a sudden, she ran into a kid that ran in front of her.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Stupid cooti-ful girl."

"What did you say?" She said with her hands on her hips, anger steaming out of her.

He turned to face her. She scrutinized him closely. He was an African-American boy with a red cap on. He was wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt, jeans, and a smug grin on his face.

"I said," he replied. "You are one heck of a bit-"

Before he could complete his sentence, he was pushed to the hard asphalt by the class bully, Dash. She turned to Dash, shocked at what he had done. Dash just shrugged and said, "Gotta keep the wimps on their toes. They can't be thinkin' I've gone soft on 'em, can they?" With that he walked away.

"Grr.." The boy grumbled under his breath as he attempted to get up, but to no avail.

"Do-Do you need some help?" Sam said uncertainly.

"Not from you!" He retorted, but fell back again on the asphalt.

"Sure. I think you do." She said, smirking.

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"No!"

"No…"

"Yes!"

"See, told ya so!"

"Ah! You tricked me! Never mind then, just help me up will ya, girl?"

Sam tugged the boy up. He dusted off his jeans then was about to walk away but spun back around.

"My name's Tucker, what's yours?"

"Call me Sam."

"Isn't that a boy's name?"

"I don't care. Now come here, you have to meet my best friend in the entire world!"

Danny was playing handball, all alone. He was in an isolated corner, waiting for Sam to come over to where he was. He looked around for her, and then saw her talking to another boy. Immediately, he knew what she was doing: she had found a better friend. He sulked, and then decided to come over there and try to at least be the third wheel. In that case, she would still allow him to keep his special room and he's get to still see her every day! Pleased at his plan, he almost trotted over to where she was, carrying the ball with him.

When he arrived, he saw her turn, point at him, and then turn back to her new friend.

"See, see? Meet Danny! He's my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

Her new friend turned to him.

"Hi, my name's Tucker," he said, his hand extended.

"Nice to meet you," Danny responded, then shook his hand.

After a while of chatting, the new friends felt very acquainted with each other.

"Hey Tuck, do you walk home from school?"

"No way! It's scary to walk alone. Why, do you Danny?"

"Yup. I walk with Sam though."

"I was wondering…are you guys, like, twins?"

"Twins?" Danny and Sam said at the same time, and then burst out laughing.

'Guess that answers my question,' Tucker thought, then shook his head. 'Just what I need, a pair of physics for best friends…'

"Hey!" A new voice interrupted, and the three heads turned towards its direction.

The owner of the voice has reddish-orange hair, had braces, and wore a happy face shirt and skirt set, with matching tennis shoes.

"Ooo, fifth grader," Tucker said, saluting.

"I was wondering," the girl started up again. "Have you seen a ball around here, about this big?" She said, indicating its size with her fingers.

"No," Danny snapped. He didn't know why he was so intimidated to respond, but he felt compelled to for some reason.

"How do you know? Well, do you want to help me look, please?"

"Nope."

"Why you little," she growled, but just then she heard a voice behind her:

"Jazzy-pants, where did you go?"

"I'm right here, dad. Just looking for my ball."

"Jazzy-pants?" Danny said, snickering. This led to the whole little group to laugh as well.

Just then, Jazz's mom, Danny assumed, came up behind her.

"Oh are these your friends, Jazz?"

"They're not my friends!" Jazz retorted.

"Oh sure they are! What cute little friends you have Jasmine!"

"MOM! You're embarrassing me, in front of third graders!"

"No I'm not honey. Now tell your friends goodbye because we have to go. Ok?"

"MOM!"

Danny smiled. Now this was going to be interesting….

Six years later…

"Look kids!" Maddie announced. "This is about to astound you!"

She turned to Jack and he pushed the button. They held their breath as the machine sparked, but then, as it went dead so did their hope.

"Told you it wasn't going to work," A 16 year old Jazz said in her know-it-all voice.

"Oh well, maybe it'll work next time," Maddie said to cheer Jack up then finally got him to smile in exchange for a promise of cookies.

After they went upstairs, though a little slower than normal, Jazz spoke again.

"Why won't my parents ever learn?"

"I don't know Jazz, I guess they're stubborn," A 14 year old Sam responded, avidly poking Danny who fell asleep through the whole presentation.

"After all it's their craze," Tucker added.

"Just like your parents are obsessed with ghosts, Tucker is obsessed with his technology, you like psychology, and Danny likes being ignorant," Sam finished, and Tucker scowled before continuing to play arcade games on his Pocket Organizer.

After one more jab to the neck, Danny jolted awake.

"It's about time you woke up, sleepyhead. Had a nice nap?" Jazz said sarcastically, earning a look from Danny, who then resumed to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"I guess," he responded lazily.

"Since you're being so clueless today, you've won a prize to see what exactly is inside the contraption Jazz's parents made." Sam said, motioning her arms in the proper way.

"No way! Besides, it doesn't work, does it?" Danny said unsurely, for he was asleep through the whole thing.

"Of course not! Just put on the special suit and explore the inside, then come back, ok?"

"I am not staying for this! Tell me when all the merriments are over, ok kids?" Jazz said, and then proceeded to walk out the room and close the door behind her.

"Oh well," Sam shrugged, and then said "Now come on, get on with it!"

Danny grabbed a hazmat suit that he saw in the cupboard and slid into it. When he zipped it up, he saw that the suit has Jack's face on it.

"Wow, he's such a narcissist." Tucker said.

"Oh that looks terrible," Sam said, then pulled off both sides of the sticker of Jack's face, then balled it up.

"All better," she said, smiling at her work.

"Sam, you are way too happy for a Goth." Danny said in a flat tone.

"…Because this is an exciting moment! Now get in there and tell me what you see, ok?"

"Ok, going now dear!" He said, then walked towards the portal, totally missing Sam's blush.

When he got inside, he noticed a red button in the back. 'What's this?' he wondered, and without thinking pushed the button…All of a sudden, pain rushed throughout him, and he screamed. He felt the pain pulsate and become so intense that he wanted it to be all over….

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A loud flash emitted from the portal, and Danny screamed. Sam and Tucker gasped, then ran to the entrance, only to see a pale hand on the ground.

"Danny!" They yelled, then tugged at his hand until he fell in their arms. Now that they looked at him, they noticed that something was different about him: his hair was snowy white and the colors of the jumpsuit were inverted. They gasped.

"Sam! Look what you did!" Tucker yelled, turning to her.

"What? What?"

"You killed him!"

"I did not!"

"Did too! Look, now he's a ghost!"

"A ghost! But why? Why him? I'm sorry Danny…"

At the mentioning of his name, Danny roused.

"Ughh, my head…what guys?" Danny was shocked. Why were they staring at him so hard? Then he turned to the mirror. He screamed again for the second time that day.

I need 10 reviews to update! So plz review! Oh and the question: What was the sexual innuendo in this chap?


	6. Ch5: The Real Deal

A/N: Well, I finally am getting around to updating this story. Now before you get all angry and say that I'm a no good author who "takes her time" to update, I am not. I am currently working on a fiction story that I'm planning on publishing this year, so it will take some time out of my schedule. I also have a lot of school work to catch up to, and I have to maintain passing grades or I can't use the computer at all! In fact, I told all the readers that if I didn't get at least five reviews, I wouldn't update for a while. I am also saying it again. So please review this time instead of avoiding the button. It's not like I get many reviews anyways, and I'm only asking for five, not fifteen (which is a popular number by the way). And if I happen to get lucky and five people review, please don't dismiss reviewing. I want to hear your comments about the story and what you want to happen in it! The question is, "how will Danny's superpowers affect him now that his past is changed?" I also did pictures for the beginning part of this ficcy so they should be posted in my user page shortly…So enjoy this latest chapter. The kid stuff is over and the real story begins! Yay…

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 5: The Real Deal

Danny woke up with a groan.

'Ow, my head!' he thought, and then struggled to get up as he cradled his head.

He looked around himself, and then found that he was in his bed. As yesterdays events started coming back to him, he looked around himself and found that he was in his 'room'.

'Ok, how long was I out? And who tucked me in, anyways?'

He looked to his left, and saw Sam sitting on a small wicker chair with her head resting on the foot of his bed.

'Sam's in here? Why's she not in her bed? Wait…today is…no yesterday was Friday so…'

He looked at his alarm clock. Sure enough, it was 9:34 A.M., Saturday.

'At least there's no school today,' he mused, then went to wake Sam up.

He shook her swiftly, which caused her head to bob up and down.

"Sam…" he whispered fervently. "Hurry up! Get up will you? I don't have all day! Hurry up and get up before your parents come barging in here, asking you to come down for breakfast, and they see me? Sam!"

Infuriated, he slapped her, which caused her to jolt awake, blinking her eyes repetitively in a valiant attempt to wake up entirely.

"D…Danny?" she said, one of her eyes drooping slightly.

"Sam, get dressed! Your parents are going to look for you soon to ask you if you want breakfast."

"Is that…what you're so worried about? You know…they always…call first. I'd just tell them…that I don't want any." She said, yawning.

"Sam! You're so exasperating. Besides, why would you want to miss out on breakfast? Your mom makes those nice garden salads for you when you are good. Maybe if you come down she's make one for you now. With all that ranch dressing…"

"Mmm…ranch."

"So, get dressed Sam. If it turns out that she won't make it for you, since it's the weekend I can sneak and make you one. Ok?"

"I love your salads…" she said, and then her eyes closed entirely.

"Sam!" he yelled, and she opened them again.

"Danny? I had this really weird dream, and I was so worried about you. I brought you all the way home. My parents were at some party, so they don't know you're here."

"Ok Sam. What did you dream about?"

"It was so weird. I convinced you to go into Jazz's parents' ghost portal, and…"

"The one that doesn't work?"

"Yes, that one. Well, you went in, and you came out as a ghost! Me and Tucker looked for your body and couldn't find it, and thought it was lost in the ghost zone forever…"

"That's really weird."

"I know! So Tucker left and I brought the "ghost" you home and hoped it was a dream. I cried so much I fell asleep…and it was in fact a dream! I'm so happy…"

Upon saying that, she embraced him.

"Hold it Sam! That sounds really weird…almost like, it wasn't a dream."

"Of course it was Danny! Why are you being so silly? Besides, you're not dead! I can feel your heartbeat."

"Yeah I guess." He said, and then turned to see Sam staring in shock.

"What?" he said.

"Look down."

He did. He was sinking through the closet floor! Sam hurriedly pulled him up and he fell back down on his bed.

"Maybe I'm not dead. Maybe I'm just half dead." Danny said.

I ran out of time so that's all I can say for now. Review!


	7. Ch6: Back to the Real World

A/N: Okie dokie, now I'm just going to write this story for my personal enjoyment since people don't seem to like it OO…oh well. Guess I don't have to say anymore. This chapter is like, the ultimate Aperture showdown or something Oo…

Chapter 6: Back to the Real World

It was Monday again. Spring break was over and everyone at the bus stop was groaning, wishing it was longer. The same thoughts were running through Danny and Sam's heads as they sat on the bench that was placed there but wasn't really meant for them.

"Ugg…" Sam groaned, burying her hands in her head.

"What's wrong?" Danny said absentmindedly.

"Remind me why I hate school again...?"

"Let's see now…Everyone calls you Goth girl, you hang out with two guys all the time, you hate pink but the female preps like putting pink bows on you just so they can annoy you…"

"I didn't mean for you to actually name them!"

"Hi guys!" said Tucker, popping out of nowhere, causing Sam to jump up in shock.

"Geez, Tuck. You scared me for a second there."

"Glad that's still possible. You know how some Goths never get scared, and they turn around at you blinking until you walk away all scared…"

"Tucker! Not all Goths are like that, you know."

"Sure." Danny replied sarcastically. "No, it's just you. Your friends at the bookstore were almost as boring as Mr. Lancer!"

"Yup." Tucker replied. After sensing Sam's malicious glare, he added, "Of course, that's why you're such a great friend, 'cause you're different!"

"Yeah Sam!" Danny chimed in, hugging her briefly, and then the bus rolled in.

"Come on, let's go!" Tucker said, and then they all boarded the bus.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"I hope Dash doesn't decide to shove me in my locker again," Danny said, looking around.

"Don't worry, he's not there." Sam said encouragingly. "Now come on, or we're going to be late for class."

"Tell you what Sam, we shouldn't have waited for Danny. He takes too long at his locker!" Tucker said, and then received a glare from Danny. "Why are both of you glaring at me today?"

"I dunno, maybe you're causing this yourself?" Danny said rolling his eyes, before pulling out his English book from his locker. "Ok now I'm ready."

"Finally, now we can-" Sam started, but stopped.

A blue wisp of smoke had just come out of Danny's mouth.

"Ok, what was that?" Danny asked, and then it came out again.

"I don't know man, but it's gotta mean something!" Tucker said, then froze. "Was that just me or is the temperature suddenly getting colder?"

"Don't worry, Tucker. You're not crazy. I feel it too. What's going on?" Sam said, looking around again.

"Maybe a sign, or something!" Danny said.

Sam and Tucker suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong you guys?" Danny asked, worried.

"Look behind you!" They yelled, seemingly frozen to the spot.

He turned around, and he saw a giant glowing green octopus looming over him.

"Ahh! A ghost!" he yelled, and they desperately ran down the hall.

The octopus zoomed after them and in a matter of time trapped Sam and Tucker, wrapping them in its tentacles.

"Let us go!" Sam yelled, kicking like crazy.

Gathering up his courage, Danny yelled, "What do you want with them?"

He got a malicious grin in return.

"Danny, do something!" Sam yelled.

"What can I possibly do?"

"I dunno, try anything!"

"Come on pal, you can do it somehow! We believe in you!" Tucker added.

Suddenly, something deep inside of him burst out. A pair of white rings traveled up his body to reveal…a change in outfit? Sam and Tucker gasped.

"I-I'm floating? Weird!" Danny said, floating in midair.

"Don't get distracted Danny. Fight him!" Sam yelled, causing Danny to turn to the octopus.

Danny floated in front of the octopus, slowly but surely.

"This is like swimming, almost…" He said, but because of not paying attention to the fight, he got slapped in the face by the octopus, slamming him against the wall.

"Danny! Concentrate!" Sam yelled, only to get squeezed more tightly.

"I'm trying!" Danny yelled back, and stood up again, wiping the dust off of his pants.

'Ok, this is what I could do, except what I could never do with Dash…' Danny thought.

Opening his eyes, he floated in the air and dove at his friends' oppressor, coming in for the kill…and got slammed into the wall once more.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt." Tucker said before shaking his head in disapproval. "Come on man, is that all you've got? At this rate, we'll be fish food!"

"Technically, an octopus is not a fish," Sam said, gasping for breath in between.

"Fish or not, I've still got to beat him!" Danny said, getting up again. This time he zoomed towards it and shot of a fist and…shot a green beam out at the octopus, rearing it backwards.

"Cool!" Danny said, and then ran into a wall. 'I can go through this, right?' Then concentrating his energy, he made himself intangible and flew through the wall. 'Cool! Now to find that ghost…'

He ended up having to chase it all the way back to the ghost portal, and kick it through. 'Now that that's done…wait! I have to go back to school!' So he zoomed back to the hallway, where his friends were patiently waiting for him.

"I told you that you could do it, man!" Tucker said, giving him a high-five.

"Good job Danny!" Sam said.

"Thanks guys!" Danny said, smiling.

"So…now that you're part ghost, can you change back?" Tucker said. "And by the way, those new eyes of yours are kinda creeping me out now…"

"It's not my fault my eyes are like this…"

"That's right! It's Sam's!" Tucker said, and Sam glared at him. "Stop glaring!"

"Wait…how do I change back!" Danny said, alarmed.

"You don't know how?" Sam said, surprised.

"Of course not!"

"Then how did you go ghost in the first place?"

"Go ghost…that has kind of a nice ring to it, you think?"

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker yelled.

"Ok…I don't know, I felt strong and the transformation just came to me, I guess…"

"That's it! Emotion! Now all we have to do is…"

"Guys quick, it's Lancer!" Tucker said, then ran towards the boy's bathroom to hide.

Danny panicked. "Oh no, Lancer! What am I going to do? He can't see me like this! I-"

"Who's there?" Mr. Lancer said, turning the corner, only to find Sam kissing Danny by the lockers.

"Oh Forbidden Love! Ms. Manson would you please get your hands off of Mr. Fenton!"

Immediately, Sam jumped off of him, both of them blushing furiously.

"For ditching class, I'll have to assign you both detentions."

"Yes Mr. Lancer," they said simultaneously.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.


	8. Ch7: As Seasons Change

A/N: Hi all! What's weird is when I say I'm doing it slowly then, I get reviews. This time, I want 6 reviews because it's a nice number. Well, off to detention and a better you! Enjoi! The first part reveals itself with Vlad in the hospital, one you didn't expect.

TBGOA: Chapter 7: As Seasons Change

Saturday:

Doctor Wintr opened the door to Room 161. Here, she eyed the patient that lied before her. She read the nametag: Vlad Masters. 'So, he was the billionaire from Wisconsin who was charged with the kidnapping of a young girl named Samantha Manson. Why am I supposed to help him again? Maybe for some information, perhaps? Well, let's get to work, I still get paid no matter what happens to this poor fellow…'

Of course, she had to not be deceitful in her work because of the camera that was located in the corner of the room. No, she would wait until whatever he has causes him to die. Then she won't have to deal with crooks anymore.

She dealt with crooks the same as she dealt with ghosts. She was a famous ghost hunter in Ohio who was nicknamed "Red Fury". But of course, her real job that supported her was being a medical doctor. 'And no one has yet discovered the connection. Easy peasy. Who knew having a secret life could be so agitating yet hilarious at the same time?'

Today, she was running a little late from catching one of those 'ectoplasmic beings', as the higher known supernatural scientists called them. So she wore her special equipment under her white jacket. She was just glad that it didn't run off any alarms, because it was all sealed in her necklace, a cheap thing really, that was bought from a local pawn shop.

Finally, she grabbed her clipboard and got closer to the patient to read the data on the screen. When she got within 20 inch distance, her necklace started violently reacting. "What's wrong with this thing?" she said to herself, and then looked at the patient. Then it finally clicked. 'The patient is being…overshadowed!' Quickly, she yanked off her necklace and activated its trigger, revealing a secret stash of weapons ranging from a small stunner to a high-powered vaporizer. She quickly grabbed a stun gun and shot it at the patient. Not surprisingly, the bullet pushed out a bluish-toned ghost.

"How did you know it was me?" It said with a scraggly voice.

"Your ecto-signature could be read from miles away, ghost!"

"Sure, liar!"

"I'm going to vaporize you!" she yelled, quickly grabbing the vaporizing gun without loosing eye contact.

"But, don't you want to know what I wanted with those kids? DO ya, DO YA?"

"Frankly, I don't give a darn."

"I-I would get power! Ultimate power! I would rule the ghost zone with those kids!"

"You would kill kids to get power? You monstrous ghost, you!"

"N-no! There is a prophecy! They have power! I wouldn't have to kill them! You can help me! You can rule by MY side! I will HAVE PO-"

"Enough of you, leave me." She said, and pulled the trigger, vaporizing the loud and crazy ghost into thin air.

'A _prophecy_, eh? What does it have to do with a rich girl? And does this mean he was overshadowing other people as well? Oh well, I can be nice this one time and get the charges off of this rich guy here.' She thought, looking up towards the camera. With that, she set off. 'I just hope that there wasn't more than one ghost overshadowing him...'

TTTT

Monday:

"Now be quiet while I leave to go to the bathroom, and don't touch anything on my desk!" Mr. Lancer said to his audience of two, and then left abruptly.

"Wow, he sure left quickly," Danny said, turning to Sam.

"Yeah, I bet he doesn't want to be here any more than we do."

"But it so, wouldn't he give more warnings and less detention?"

"Even so, I think he was just mad that we were ditching, supposedly."

"Tucker got off free! He told Mr. Lancer that he had early morning sickness! Can you believe it?"

"Well that's believable. I mean, with all that meat he eats everyday, I'm surprised he's not obese by now!"

"Sam…"

"_What_?"

"No talking about him behind his back, now."

"I bet you don't tell this to Tucker!"

"Yes I do, or no more special salads from me. Ask your mother from now on."

"No!"

"Well be good."

"Yes, dollface." Sam said, snickering.

"Hey! You only say that to a girl!"

"But you do have a cute face…" She said, grabbing his chin.

"Stop it! I bet you enjoyed that kiss…"

"Did not! It was to distract Lancer!"

"That's a lie. Otherwise we could have run like Tucker."

"At least I'm not a _scaredy_ cat."

"That's true…"

After those words left Danny's mouth, Mr. Lancer came in and set at his desk. Danny raised his hand.

"_Yes_, Mr. Fenton?"

"Can we watch the news?"

Danny turned to Sam, who was glaring at him as if to say, 'The _news_? How lame.'

"I guess so, Mr. Fenton. It is a learning channel, after all." With that, Mr. Lancer got up and turned on the TV in the classroom. He grabbed the remote and turned it to the local news channel. The face that came up on TV shocked Danny in his tracks:

"Hello, this is Tiffany Snow. And we are here to report to you some of the national news! Here is Rick at the scene."

"This is Rick here, and we are at the Amherst Hospital in Ohio. Here, a local doctor had witnessed a ghost come out of Vlad Masters. Here is the tape."

The tape showed the ghost falling out of Master's body and the combat between it and the doctor. It looked like she was fighting with a needle, not any weapons, so her secret was safe.

"Ms. Wintr was very brave in fighting the ghost. Vlad Masters has been proven innocent to the charges of kidnapping and the charges have been dropped shortly after. He was released from the hospital in the early morning. Thank you and good evening, this was Rick.."

Mr. Lancer turned off the TV.

"I've never heard of that billionaire kidnapping anyone. Oh well, since he was proved innocent. A ghost, can you believe it?"

Instead of a response, all he got in return was long stares.

"Are you kids, ok?"

"We-we're fine, Mr. Lancer," Sam said eventually.

'Vlad's back. And he still has his ghost powers! That doctor didn't defeat the right ghost! Now it'll be even harder to find my parents…' Danny thought gloomily. "And I thought now was the time to start looking for them too. That ghost has it in for me, and so do his minions. Now, I'll just bid my time and wait…'

Why did I name the doctor Wintr? Why wouldn't an extraction device get rid of both the ghost overshadowing Vlad and his ghost half? Tata for now!


	9. Ch8: Searching for the Invisible

A/N: I'm very sad at how bad my stories are doing so I guess I just have to write this stuff for myself. Here's an informative chapter for the readers who I don't know exist. Ok next chapter, oh goodie:

Chap 8: Looking for the Invisible

"Hey, did you study?" Sam said with a grin while picking up her backpack.

"For what, the math test?" Danny said, picking up his own, and then looked at the clock. It was Tuesday, but felt like a week had passed since yesterday. Boy, how each day passes so slowly when school has to be attended.

"Duh, what else would I be talking about?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Then what's the quadratic formula?" She said, walking to the door.

"It is: x equals negative b plus or minus the square root of b squared minus 4 multiplied by a multiplied by c all over 4 multiplied by a." he recited off the top of his head.

"Good job, you actually remembered something!" Sam said, swinging open the door, then they began to walk down the stairs.

"I told you I studied." Danny replied.

"Danny, Danny…you overestimate your attention span."

"It's not that, it's just…I don't have time anymore!"

"…because of your new job, right?"

"Yeah…"

When they reached the kitchen, her parents noticed them.

"Samantha, your friend's already here? I didn't see him come in." Her mom said.

"Yeah, he's sneaky like that…" Sam said sarcastically, only slightly thinking in her mind that he now could actually be sneaky with his new ghost powers.

"Well have a nice day at school, honey!"

"See you later mom!"

Sam and Danny walked outside, and then Danny shut the door behind them. The first few minutes were very quiet before Danny spoke:

"Hey Sam?"

"What?"

"Are we going to walk to school, or catch the bus? We left almost an hour early so we have time."

"I guess we're walking. Wanna pick up Tucker?"

"Let's."

So, they walked to Tucker's house in about 15 minutes, and knocked on the door.

Tucker's dad opened it.

"Yes?" he said, then recognized them and added, "Oh hi Sam and Danny. Tucker'll be down in a minute. Although…you guys are kind of early, but that's ok." He said, eying his watch. He walked into the house and called up the stairs: "Tucker, your friends are here! You don't have time to play the game now."

A moment later, Tucker reluctantly walked down the stairs with a frown on his face. He walked out the door, closed it behind him, and then faced his friends.

"Guys…why did you come so early?" He whined.

"Because Sam wanted to," Danny replied. "Otherwise she was going to bother me the whole morning until I got up."

"Ok I understand. Sam is seriously violent, for a recyclo-vegetarian who forbids the harsh treatment of animals." Tucker said, and then cringed at Sam's harsh glare.

"Am not!" She denied. "Anyways, most of the time Danny was asking for it."

"What did I ever do to you?" Danny asked, feigning hurt.

"Danny…come on guys let's get a move on," Sam said, and then they continued walking.

When they finally made it to school, it was 7:00 A.M. The doors to the school were open, but only the teachers and the janitor were inside. They walked in, and it was silent. So they went to the cafeteria to sit down at their table.

"So what are we going to do for 45 minutes?" Danny asked.

"We could always, you know, talk about stuff?" Sam suggested.

"Well," Tucker said. "I got this cool new game, it's so great!"

"Yeah, we heard Tuck." Sam replied. "Your dad seemed very annoyed about it too."

"What _kind_ of game?" Danny asked curiously, causing himself to get a look from Sam.

"Only the best and most action-packed game there is!"

"Cool!"

"Ok, let's change the topic."

"I was getting ready to start looking for my parents," Danny said, sighing.

"That's good!" Tucker said.

"But…I can't."

"Why?"

"It's because…Vlad's back!"

"So?"

"Tucker, you know Danny's very conscious of Vlad, right?" Sam said.

"So? I mean, wasn't he overshadowed at that time? I mean, they said it on the news!"

"Maybe Tuck," Danny said. "…but I'm still wary. I hope it wears off soon."

"Me too Danny," Sam said.

"Oh well, let's get to class, extra early." Tucker said with a grin. "Let's see how Mr. Lancer reacts to this…"

------------------------------------

After first period, the hallways were bustling with students who were retrieving books from their lockers which they needed for the next period. While Danny was getting his astronomy book, someone tapped on his back. He turned, and it turned out to be Dash, the school bully.

"Hey Fentino." Dash said slyly.

"What do you want, Dash?" Danny spouted, annoyed.

"I just wanted to ask you a question. Jazz is your sister, right?"

Danny almost fell over at that statement. 'Jazz? My sister?' he thought incredulously. 'So what if our last names are the same, we're _definitely_ not _anything_ alike.'

"I mean, you're at her house all of the time." Dash continued.

"I'm not related to her, Dash," Danny said, restraining his laughter.

"But you have to be! Maybe your parents got divorced or something, but really, you can't lie to me."

"For real Dash, we're not related."

"Ok…" Dash said, still not trusting his words, and walked away to where the rest of the A-List was standing.

Then Jazz and her friends were walking through the hallway.

"I was wondering," she said. "Should I pick calculus as my future major or psychology? Or maybe biology…" Then she noticed Danny and waved to him. "Hi Danny!"

"Hi.." he said, waving back.

"How do you know that dork, Jazz?" One of her friends said to her.

Dash overheard the conversation and tapped her on the back, saying, "They're related. Don't mind them."

Outraged, Jazz and Danny yelled simultaneously, "We're NOT related!"

"Sure…" Dash said sarcastically, and walked away to where Paulina was standing.

"What's up with him?" Jazz said to Danny, then walked off, leaving Danny more confused than ever.

If anyone reads this story and doesn't review, there's a sneak peak for the next chapter on my author's page. People don't know because no one clicks on it, and I'm not joking.


	10. Ch9: Kid’s Best Friend: Sleek Lady

A/N: I decided to write more of this story. For all those too lazy to click the review button, check my profile for special summaries…while I add a sneak peak which I may or may not include in the upcoming chapter! I'm volunteering on Sunday so I'm updating quickly…enjoy! This is where the real stuff begins…I hope it comes out that way…There will now be a two-sided conflict in this story! See if you can guess it! If you don't, I'll tell all the readers in the next chapter. Good stuff…

The Best Gift Ever: Chapter 9: Kid's Best Friend: Sleek Lady

"How could this happen?" Danny exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

"What Danny," Sam said, seeming to have almost expected this sudden outburst from the normally shy boy. "What happened, let me see…" she said, motioning for him to hand her his test.

"I just…" he said, passing the test over, and then breathed in deeply before continuing. "I can't believe it! How can anyone get…_that_ grade on Mr. Slattery's test?"

Mr. Slattery was the real math teacher, but was rarely here because of chronic illness, so Mr. Lancer commonly took over, since period 6 was his conference period. The only reason he had one because he was no ordinary teacher, for he was also assistant principal of the school. Luckily for the students, Mr. Lancer was an easier teacher than Mr. Slattery. Of course, it was believed to be impossible for anyone but a pure genius to pass his test without a hitch…

"An A! Gosh Danny, you really did study!" Sam said, only loud enough for Danny to hear, so their classmates wouldn't start to stare.

"I know, but still! Anyways, let me see yours."

"I didn't look at it yet, tell me how I did," she passed it.

"An A. You always do well on your tests Sammy. You only missed…" He ran his finger down the problems. "4. You got a cool sticker too! Why do I have such an ugly one?" He whined.

"It's just a sticker," Sam said, grinning. Her Danny sure knew how to cheer her up, even when she wasn't feeling especially gloomy. 'My Danny…wow that's a weird way of thinking of him…but I kinda like it…' she thought.

"I know, but he's gotta have some better ones than that to give me! I just got a 'Good Job'. You got an 'Excellent!' with a cool happy face with shades…"

Sam giggled, which was totally out of her normal character, then said, "How about I buy you some stickers on our way home after school?"

"No it's ok. I don't really care about stickers. They're too girlish," Danny said, motioning his hand, which caused Sam to smirk at him. "What!"

"Nothing Danny. You're too cute for your age, that's all." Danny blushed deeply, but then Sam added, "You're supposed to get that manly attractiveness now. You'll forever be a doll…"

"Sam! Stop calling me that!" Danny said, but then figured out by the look on her face that she was just playing around. "So…what are we gonna do after sch-"

The P.A. system interrupted him.

"Will Danny Fenton report immediately to the main office? Thank you, and I'm sorry for the disturbance."

"What did you do Danny?" Sam asked, and then Danny shrugged. "Go on," she said, then pulled him out of his chair and waved goodbye.

"See you later, Sam," he said and walked out the door, though he forgot to close it behind him.

She sat back down, and then noticed that someone was staring at her. She turned, and found out that members of the A-list that were in her period were the culprits. They were Paulina, Star, Kwan, and Dash.

"Why are you staring at me?" She bellowed at them.

They started laughing and whispered something amongst each other.

"Care to say it to my face?" She challenged, knowing that they couldn't resist.

Paulina turned to her and said quite rudely, "Tonto vieja1!" Then she set off in a fit of giggles.

"Care to say it in my face, chaya2?

"Ignoring you!" Star said, putting her hand up, which sent the whole group into another laughing fit.

'Oh well…' Sam thought. 'They're total idiots anyways. More importantly, what is my dear boychik3 doing in that office…hmmm…?'

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny walked casually to the main office. 'What did I do wrong? It's probably because of my grades again…but I wonder…'he thought. Finally, he entered the room, coming face to face with a woman that he had never seen before…

She was an African-American. Her dark brown hair was cropped to shoulder length and put back in a ponytail. Her mahogany eyes were deep and almost elusive, in a creepy way. And not to mention the obvious, she was dressed in a sleek red suit. She cleared her throat, and then began to speak.

"Hello there. You are Daniel Fenton, correct?"

"Yeah, who are you?" he said curiously.

"My named Aleshia Moore. It's a pleasure to be of your acquaintance," she said a-matter-of-factly, shaking his hand briskly. "Now let's get down to business."

She started walking, leading him to the old counselor's room, in which she sat down on the office seat and bade him to sit. He did so, reluctantly.

"So…" he said unsurely.

"Now I bet you're wondering why I came to see you, Mr. Fenton." She said in a serious tone.

"Yes, please."

"Now do you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"Not really, as long as they're not too many."

"Ok then. Now first of all, who's your parent or guardian?"

Danny breathed sharply. "I live by myself," he lied. 'I don't trust her…' he thought, then hoped that she wouldn't catch it.

"Ok then. Are you aware that you are listed in the Foster's home index, Danny?"

"I wasn't. What are you getting at?" 'Is she suggesting that…?'

"I thought as much. Because, I am fully authorized to take you to the nearest home so you can be adopted. You deserve loving parents."

"What are you talking about? I'm fully capable on my own!"

"Are you currently living with a friend, Mr. Fenton. Seeing as you never had a job before…"

"How do you know what? Besides, my friend gives me enough money I need."

"Your friend, huh? Is he or she possibly stealing this money?"

"What in the world are you talking about? Besides…" he said, and then thought of what to say next. "My friend's rich, and my friend shares the allowance that he's given." He said. 'I don't want Sam to be connected in this wierdo's…scheme or something.' He thought.

"Ok then. I had come here upon hearing from the vice principal that you didn't live with your parents. I have another question for you."

"Uh huh…"

"Do you want to be adopted?"

"No," he responded promptly.

"Then you should ask your friend's parents if they would take custody of you. Otherwise, I will have to ask around for you myself."

"I can't really do that. My friend's parents…have too much on their hands as it is. I can't ask that of them."

That fact was true. They were too busy on business trips to even have another child, which was the sole reason why Sam was an only child.

"Ok then, so I'll ask around. Don't worry; you won't regret my decision, when I make it. You'll be much happier!" Upon seeing Danny's skeptic look, she waved her hand dismissively and said in an airy voice, "Come on kid, smile! The world's a great place! I'll see you later. Here's my card," She said, handing it to him.

He took it, and jammed it into his jeans pocket.

"Well I have to go back to class," he said, noticing that there was only 15 minutes left until the bell would ring.

"Ok, adieu Danny! Until we meet again…" she said, then opened the door and allowed him to pass through before walking through it herself. She closed the door behind her and left in the way in which she came.

'Ok, that was weird…' he thought, then pulled out the card and read it. 'MD Aleshia Moore, Psychologist, Social Worker…wait a second! She's a social worker! No wonder she was asking me where I lived and stuff…" Then it finally dawned on him. "I'm such an idiot! I hope I don't regret this little chat…I've gotta tell Sam what happened!'

With that last thought in mind, he dashed towards Mr. Slattery's classroom.

-----------------------------------------

Sam was patiently tapping her fingers on the desk. In reality, she was fuming, trying to drill a whole with her fingernails into the wood. 'Danny…hurry up!" she thought. "The bell's gonna ring! Then I have to wait for you and people will notice! Why must you continue to be so…sluggish?' As soon as that thought ran through her mind, Danny came running through the door and plopped in his seat. Then, he promptly rushed to pack his stuff up in his backpack.

"What took you so long?" She asked, then immediately wished that she hadn't, for when Danny turned to face her, his face looked terribly grave.

"I just had a meeting with a social worker. And she said she's going to find me a home, who knows where!"

Review! Please?

1.tonto vieja: stupid/silly old lady in spanish. Though tonto might be tonta & I made a mistake...that's always possible

2.cheya: wild animal in jewish/yiddish. I forgot

3.boychik: an affectionate term for boy in yiddish/jewish, yet again not quite sure.

Sneak Peak:

"Danny, here it is, your new home."

Danny gasped. It can't be. He was living with...them?

"I heard they're quite the scientists. They have tons of money, so there's easy support..."


	11. Ch10: Wary Feelings

A/N: I hope all the readers enjoyed the last chapter. I had a feeling I was only going to get 3 reviews…well anyways; I still try to write the best possible, even though my stories aren't liked as much as others. But who cares? The people that don't like it, I get to annoy them when they have to see my story on the page…well.

The Social worker in the last chapter was pretty much based on my old social worker and my friend's current social worker (mine was annoying and stupid, her's was kinda nice). But of course, social workers do not understand about family relationships, only what they're told…so they're decisive but try to sound nice. I hope I reflect this in her character.

I hope you enjoy this chapter! I had to delay what was going to happen in this chapter to the next chapter, so it won't seem to happen too fast….

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 10: Interlude: Wary Feelings

On the way back home, Sam, Danny, and Tucker walked in silence. Tucker repeatedly looked between the two to try and decipher what was wrong. Finally, he broke the still air.

"Guys, what's up? Why the long faces?" he said enthusiastically.

Sam sighed solemnly, and Danny turned to him and replied, "I'm moving Tuck."

"Really? You and Sam are…"

"No Tuck," Danny interrupted. "…just me."

"Ok…so when and how exactly are you moving?"

"Basically, I got called to the office on the P.A. to see someone in the main office…"

"I heard that."

"…anyways, it turns out that it was some social worker who found out where I was and got a hold of my files somehow. I thought Vlad stole them from the system's database and cleared the references, but oh well, I guess he didn't. And then, the social worker told me that she's going to find a new home for me to live in!"

"Doesn't she need some kind of consent from you, or something like that?"

"No, because I'm just a minor. Plus, I told a little white lie that I was living somewhere by myself, because Sam's parents don't know that I've been living in Sam's closet for about the past seven years!"

"So that's why both of you are so upset…"

"And you're not?" Danny spouted angrily. Sam just shook her head.

"I'm not saying that, per say. I mean, she just told you she was going to find a home for you right? Without giving any specific time frame or location?"

"Yes, but the lack of a specific location is precisely the problem! I mean, who can tell where she'll move me too? This is so insane…" Danny whined.

"It's ok buddy. The three of us will find a way to get through this, like we always do. Well lookie here, I'm home. See you guy later!" Tucker said, waving, and then retreated to his house.

Sam and Danny waved back then resumed walking. After a few minutes, Sam turned to Danny.

"Danny?" she asked.

"What?"

"I don't want you to move."

"Me'n neither. I'm so used to waking up in that same spot every morning, being woken up by you. I don't know how I'd live without it."

"Yea…well, I guess we'll have to get used to it. Life's not always as fair as it seems to be on those typical TV shows…"

"Uh huh."

Then finally, they made it home. Sam took out her key and unlocked the door, then swung it wide open. Her parents were sitting down.

"Samantha! You're home!" They said. "And your friend's here too…"

"Yeah, mom. We still have to study for that test coming up in history, ok? Well, we're going up to my room now…" She said awkwardly, and they went upstairs to avoid the peculiar glances from her parents.

As soon as they had locked the door, her mom turned to her dad.

"Don't you think it's a little strange? Ever since they met, he seems to be always over here. Even when we moved…"

"Maybe he asked his parents to move, you think?"

"Probably, but I still think it's funny. They've stuck to each other like glue so far. Pretty soon, our daughter will be asking if she can marry him!"

"And there will be nothing we can do…"

And then, they sat in the kitchen pondering, trying to understand what was going through their daughter's mind.

Miss Aleshia Moore was currently standing in front of a rather weird house, with her briefcase in hand. It had what appeared to be an upside-down satellite that had crashed upon this poor two-story home, but she knew better.

'So here it is: the home of Amity Park's famous ghost hunters…' she thought. 'The only reason I'm here is because they have money that they get by selling inventions to the government…thankfully not that ghost nonsense. Maybe they'll be the right ones…'

She had currently visited about six homes in this town, and none of them had wished to adopt anyone.

'No one knows how to spread joy and love to a needy child,' she thought angrily. 'Well let's see if there's one hidden beneath the crowd…'

She went up to the door and knocked.

"I'll get it!" She heard a feminine voice call out from within the house.

In less than a minute, the door swung open, revealing a red-haired girl with blue eyes. She was probably in high school.

"Yes?" The girl asked, blinking.

"Hello, are your parents at home? I wish to speak with them."

"Uh huh. Just a minute! Come on in," she replied, and then stepped out of the way for her to pass by.

She stepped into the room.

'Well, this house certainly has the right atmosphere…I hope the parents are willing…' she contemplated.

The girl ran downstairs in the basement, shouting, "Mom, Dad! There's someone here to see you!"

"Really?" An enthusiastic male voice said.

"Ok, we'll be right up. We just have to seal up the Nitrate and Potassium samples…"

"Ok." The girl said, then ran back up. "They said they'll be up in a moment." She relayed to her.

"So I've heard," Aleshia said, smiling.

In a moment, her parents came up from the basement, wearing neon orange suits.

"Hello there," the girl's mother said politely, and reached out to shake her hand. They shook. "My name's Maddie, and this is my husband, Jack. And this is my daughter Jasmine." She indicated the podgy man and the girl.

"My name's Aleshia. It's a pleasure to meet you all." She said.

"Welcome to our home," Jack said.

"Why don't we all sit down," Maddie said.

Jasmine, Maddie, and Jack sat down on the sofa. Aleshia followed.

"So, mind if I asked you a few questions?" She said, putting on her professional face.

"Not at all," Maddie said, waving her hand.

"Ok then. Are you interested in adopting children?"

"I don't know…I mean, when our child was kidnapped a long time ago, after he was only a year old, me and Jack felt an absence in our lives…it depends on the child though."

"Where does your daughter go to school?"

"I go to Casper High," Jasmine said.

"Ok. Do you know a boy named Danny?"

"Danny…which Danny? There's Crawford in 12th, Footman and Sand in 11th, Gee in 10th, Fenton in 9th…"

"It's Danny Fenton."

"Oh that boy?" Maddie said. "He's such a nice boy…him and Jazz are good friends! Isn't that right Jazz?"

Jazz nodded.

"That's good that you know him. Are you interested in adopting him? He's quite the lonely one. He really needs loving parents."

"I'd love to adopt him! Though I always assumed that he lived with that friend of his…"

"He said that he didn't, but admitted that his friend supported him."

"Oh…"

Aleshia dug in her briefcase and pulled out a packet of forms.

"These are the papers you have to fill out. Be done by tomorrow when I bring him over."

"No problem! You're going to pick him up from school?"

"Yes, indeed. He'll be so overjoyed!"

"I hope so."

Aleshia closed her briefcase and got up.

Maddie said, "I hope you don't have paraskevidexatriaphobia. For it's in three days."

"Ok," Aleshia said, and then she walked to the door. When she almost touched the door, a loud alarm went off:

"Ghost alert! Ghost alert!"

Aleshia was flummoxed. She almost jumped in the air.

"Ghost alert! Ghost ale-"

It was shut off by Maddie, who tore off the wires.

"Sorry about that noise, Aleshia. That thing always goes off when someone steps on the doormat for some reason. Goodbye now!" Maddie said apologetically.

"Ok…goodbye." Aleshia said, then opened and closed the door behind her.

'That was a close one,' she thought. 'Well, at least Danny will have a loving family to look forward to. Though they are weird…'

Sneak Peek at the end of last chapter.

Thanks very much to stormrider 7, Star-In-The-Sky-25, and divinedragon7 for reviewing. You guys give me the motivation to update!


	12. Ch11: A New Home

A/N: Thanks to: divinedragon7, crazyvi, Ghostboy814, katiesparks, and linkmaste for reviewing the last chapter! I've been thinking for a while on how to write this next chapter, and I've finally done it! (With the help of divinedragon7:)) SO, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter from moi and after you read, leave a word or two telling me how you liked it, so I can actually know you've read. Otherwise, you have no write to complain when I take a while to update because only one or two people reviewed (scenario). Enjoy! And if you haven't read my new story, Jazzy Day, read it! It was the one that was preventing me from updating! And those stupid applications for next year…

Information: I should have told you all before, but the month is currently October (2006;) ), and it's the eleventh as of this chapter. Also, sneak peeks for this story is located in my profile, so after I update, check to read the new one, ok?

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 11: A new home…

"Now class," Mr. Lancer started, coughing twice to clear his throat. "Since this is an astronomy class, this does pertain to the class topic because the stars also influenced our calendar, and so forth. You are all aware that Friday the thirteenth is coming up, correct?"

"I didn't know," Star said, blinking. "Did you, Paulina?"

"No…" she replied honestly. "But wasn't it already in January?"

"Yes," Mr. Lancer said knowledgably. "But this year it occurs twice, like next year. The year after, it only happens once. But in the year you all graduate, it will occur three times."

"That's three times the bad luck!" Kwan exclaimed.

"Yes, that's precisely right. Now, let us begin our review lesson on the factors of star rotation…" Mr. Lancer said, and then as he turned to the board to write, Dash made a comment,

"Just wait till then! Then, I get to pound all the paraskevidexatriaphobics!"

"Guess he learned a new word," Tucker muttered to Sam and Danny, which caused them to set off in a fit of laughter.

"Quiet down class," Mr. Lancer said. Paulina raised her hand. "Yes, Paulina?" he said, raising his eyebrow. 'Usually she doesn't even participate in class…' he thought.

"Mr. Lancer? What does that word mean? Paraskeet…something."

"Paraskevidexatriaphobia. Yes, that's quite a long word, but not the longest. It basically means fear of Friday the thirteenth."

"Those wimps are gonna be so dead by the time I'm through with 'em!" Dash declared, pounding his fists together.

"Sure…" Mr. Lancer said. "Anyways…let's get on with the lesson."

Once again, he turned to the board, drawing a diagram of the moon orbiting around the earth. Meanwhile, Sam and Danny were whispering to each other, drawing the stares of their classmates, who assumed what they thought was obvious.

"Danny, I want to ask you," Sam said quietly.

"What, Sam?" Danny whispered.

"If you move away…"

"Don't worry about that right now."

"Why not? I can't help it Danny. It's just…when the time is right for you to go with that person to go to some other family, you'll keep in contact with me, right?"

"Of course! But, I don't think that I'll move far enough to switch schools…"

"You'd be surprised at what social workers can do…"

"I know, and you're right. But let's be optimistic here, ok? What you're assuming is a big IF, ok? We're not going to be separated that far! I know it!"

"I'm a goth. Being optimistic doesn't come with it," she muttered, but gave him a quick hug afterwards. "But I can't help but wonder if we really are going to be separated…"

"I wouldn't let that happen, to my fullest extent. I promise you that. But if we do happen to get separated, I would visit you everyday."

"Yeah, because of your new abilities. And I have to admit, they sure are sexy," Sam said, winking, and then she blushed.

"Wha? You can't…you have a crush on my ghost form?"

"I can't help it. He's cute. But not as much as you."

They blushed again.

"Ahem," Mr. Lancer coughed, and they blushed again, like deer caught in the headlights. "Can you two stop flirting so I can go on with my lesson? Thank you. Now if you would all turn to the board…"

"Geeky love birds," Paulina whispered to her friends, and then they laughed.

"Am not," Sam retorted. "We're just best friends."

Tucker rolled his eyes at that.

"What type? Ones with benefits?"

Those who were in hearing range oohed at that.

"No, we just like to flirt. Do you have to be so nasty-minded all the time? No wait, that's how you are, I forgot what a slut you are. You just can't help it."

The children oohed again. Paulina just huffed and gave her the cold shoulder.

"At least she knows when to stop," Danny said.

"Yeah, one good quality for Paulina, to weigh against all the bad ones…" Sam said.

"Quiet!" Mr. Lancer interrupted. "Come on, this is fifth period, there's only ten more minutes to go. Can you at least pay attention?"

Hearing his declaration, the students took out their notebooks and pencils.

'At least my lies still work…" Mr. Lancer thought. 'Today's going to be a long day…'

--------------------------------------------------------------

After school, Danny and Sam were waiting for Tucker to finish getting his books out of his locker.

"Ok, you guys are still going over to play my new game with me, right?" Tucker said, sounding very ecstatic.

"Duh," Danny said.

"But I'm guessing you're addicted to it because your parents were annoyed with you're playing of the game." Sam said. "I mean, why would you play the game right before you have to go to school?"

"The game's just that awesome!" Tucker replied. "Anyways," he said, closing his locker. "Let's go! Last one's a sore…who's she?"

The group turned, and Danny immediately recognized who it was.

The woman waved, and rushed over to him.

"Hi," Danny said. "What brings you here?"

The woman embraced him.

"I've finally found a home for you!" She said happily. "I've been looking all last week and this week, and I've finally found a suitable one for you! Trust me, you'll like it. Now I don't mean to separate you from your friends, but I'm going to take you to meet them now, ok?" She said, taking his hand.

"Ok. Gotta go guys," Danny said, locking eyes with Sam's so she'd get it, then he let the woman drag him away.

"So…" Tucker began. "I'm guessing that that's the social worker Danny mentioned?"

"Yep, that's the one," Sam affirmed.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"It won't be long now," Aleshia said from the front seat.

Danny had been sitting there for the past fifteen minutes. At least she had bought him free food from the Nasty Burger…wait, he receives this anyways from Sam.

'This sucks…I hope she doesn't drive out of Amity Park.' He thought miserably, and then sucked the straw in his strawberry milkshake.

Then, to both his relief and horror, she drove up in the front of the Fenton's house.

'Oh horror…'

Aleshia parked and opened the door to her sleek black Volkswagen Beetle.

"Ok, come out now. You've been here before, haven't you?" She said, getting out and closing her door, before opening his.

"Yeah, I have," he said, staggering out the door, then she slammed it, and locked it with the key.

'She treats me like a kid…' Danny noticed, thoroughly annoyed. 'Next time I see her, she'll probably be giving me a Pigglet angel toy for Christmas…' (I got that from my social worker! The retard!)

"Ok, let's go inside now!' She said in that happy tone of hers.

They walked up to the door, and she rang the doorbell. The door swung open, revealing Maddie.

"Ms. Moore, Danny! Come right on in…" Maddie said, stepping aside for them to enter.

'Dash has cursed me…' Danny thought. 'This is all his fault…'

"Do you have the papers?" Aleshia asked.

"Yes, and here they are," Maddie said, handing them to her.

Aleshia immediately put them in her briefcase.

"Have a nice day everyone, and goodbye," she said, then left and drove away.

'Stupid overhappy woman…' Danny thought. 'Taking me away from Sam. At least this isn't that far. The Fenton's live on the same block as Sam. I should be happy because I didn't have to leave the town. The only reason that social worker asked the Fenton's is because we share the same last name. At least I don't have to change it…'

Danny's thoughts were interrupted by a bone-crushing hug, given from Jack.

"Danny, we're so happy to welcome you as part of our family! Come on, we have lots to teach you about all our machinery! And ghosts!"

'On second thought…' Danny thought. 'You'll pay, Dash…for jinxing me!'

At least eight reviews before I update! Have a nice day!


	13. Ch12: The one we call “ghost”

A/N: I've been taking a break from this story, only because I had no idea what to write, and I was working on my new story. Thanks to dark angel maybe, Boongdaba, Jessica01, locodraco, Jenna Dax, crazyvi, Ghostboy814, Black January, divinedragon7, and Raidon Phantom for reviewing. You all have encouraged me to keep on going with this fic. So, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. I've been waiting for this part to happen ever since I came up with the idea for this fic!

Note: This chapter is dedicated to my good friend luvdaggers, whose internet is too costly right now to keep going. Until the fall, my friend. Then, you can read again! Or I can just wait till the summer, if you save up enough money to visit me again here in America!

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 12: The one we call "ghost"

'Today is the twelfth of October,' the calendar on the wall seemed to announce. It was in the same spot where it was before, but it still seemed to not belong in a sense, and yet, it did. It was a black and gray calendar, in the middle of the wall above the bedside, next to the space rocket poster and the one about the space mission on Mars. It was the one that Danny had received from his best friend, who he used to share a room with. And it would expire in only two more months after this one had run its days. But he knew that he would keep it for memories, to remind him of where he was before he lived in this room, and how he longed for it to be the same again.

Danny felt weird to be in a room of his own. To him, it didn't have quite the same feel as it did when he lived in Sam's walk-in closet, which was really quite spacey. He closed his eyes and almost hoped that when he opened them again, he'd be with Sam, getting ready for school. It had only been one day since he had moved to be with his new family, but it felt like a whole year at least. Maybe it was because he and Sam were so close…nah. He was just used to it, which was all. And it wouldn't take him too long to get used to this one. At least he hoped that it wouldn't…

Yesterday, he had met a few new ghosts. One was called the Box Ghost, and the other, Klemper. They were sure weird, but they were also stubborn, and didn't know when to quit. They also took away his time to even talk to his friends during the breaks and after school. But in his heart, he had a feeling that they were by no means the worst. And he was positively itching today. He only itched this much when Sam asked him to go to the park all those years ago.

'Oh well,' he thought, looking at the clock. 'Time to go to school.'

He quickly changed into his normal garb and slid on his backpack, then ran out the door. He briefly saw Maddie and Jack sitting in the kitchen, but didn't feel like confronting them at the moment. He still didn't even feel comfortable in his new room, for goodness sakes! He looked at his watch as he was walking down the street.

'I don't feel like flying today…it's no fun when Sam's not around. I have time to catch the bus. I hope she and Tucker decided to ride today as well…'

He turned the corner sharply, and then darted to where the bus stop was. He was greeted with the sight of a handful of kids. Just when he arrived, the bus turned the corner and stopped in front of where he was.

'Just in time.'

He stepped onto the bus and looked around. And surely enough, there was Sam, sitting way in the back with her legs crossed, with her boot partly in the aisle. He walked over to where she was.

"It's about time you got here," she said. "For a second I thought that you decided not to take the bus today."

"Walking or flying isn't fun without you," Danny said truthfully, causing Sam to flush crimson.

"Yeah, I could expect that," she said, averting her gaze from his. "Now sit down."

Danny then promptly plopped down next to her. The bus then rumbled faster, and then took off once again. For a moment, it was silent between them, until Danny spoke.

"Sam, where's Tucker?"

"He's sick today. He was kind of sick yesterday, you remember right?" Danny nodded, and then she continued. "Yeah, so he's recuperating. He's probably playing that new game of his instead of recovering in bed though."

"Yeah, that's Tuck for you," Danny said. And then another wave of silence hit them for a moment.

"Danny?" Sam said quietly.

"What?"

"I couldn't sleep without you yesterday."

"I had a hard time myself."

"I mean, it was so weird. It wasn't like insomnia, but stranger. I was so tired, but I just couldn't."

"I understand. It took me until 3:00 in the morning to go to sleep."

"At least you got some."

"Yeah."

"Mind if I sleep on your shoulder for a while?"

"Not at all, go right ahead."

"Ok. Wake me up when we get there, ok?"

"Of course. I wouldn't leave you here."

"Of course you wouldn't."

"What, you mean you don't believe me?"

"I do, I'm just…can I sleep now?"

"Sorry Sam."

"It's ok, I'm kind of cranky."

Sam gently leaned on his shoulder, and then immediately she fell asleep. After the bus made a few sharp turns, she ended up being sprawled against him, causing Danny to turn extremely red.

'Ok…this is a little too close for comfort,' he thought.

He tried to move, but only ended up causing her to hold onto him even tighter. In the end, he gave up trying to separate from her. His face was already threatening to explode any moment now.

'Stupid hormones. Only at these kind of moments do I wish that I had never grown up.'

The bus ride after that seemed longer than ever.

-----T----T---

"Today was sure a long day…" Tucker said. It was after school. Tucker had decided to come to school in the middle of third period.

"Talk about a long day, you were only here for half of it!" Sam stated angrily.

"Calm down Sam," Danny said.

"What are you talking about? I have a right to be cranky."

"Come on Sam, lighten up."

"Ok…" She said, and then sighed.

"Oh yeah, Danny? Didn't you say that Jazz was going to pick you up today?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, but she's gotten a new boyfriend, so I'm not going to account her for it." Danny replied.

Upon saying that, a car came speeding by. In the car were Jazz and another guy.

"Her new boyfriend sure looks ghastly," Sam remarked.

"Yeah, and that's plain weird," Tucker said.

"Guys…" Sam said, strangely ecstatic all of a sudden.

"Yeah…" Danny and Tucker said.

"You guys are still going to go with me to the mall, right? So we can go protest at the perfume shop for selling products that were tested on animals?"

"Yeah, Sam." Tucker said in a monotone.

"Even Maddie said yes to that."

"Good," Sam said, extremely pleased. Then, she grabbed each of their hands. "Come on!" She then tugged them to the mall.

T--T--T--T--T--T--T--T

"Here we are, boys," Sam said, her hands on her waist.

"Don't you see that the only boys that are here were dragged by their girlfriends?" Danny pointed out.

"Yeah…Same for the men in the lingerie store, except for the perverted ones."

"Except Sam, neither me nor Tucker or your boyfriend."

"Boy-friend. That's fine enough. By the way, where did Tucker run off to?"

They looked around them. Tucker was apparently nowhere to be seen.

"Oh well," Sam said, sighing. "I'll kill him tomorrow."

Just then, an old couple was walking by. They turned and pointed to Danny and Sam.

"Look," the old woman said. "They're such a cute couple; it reminds me of when we were young, right Howard?"

They walked right on past, not noticing that they caused both Danny and Sam to turn into beets.

"Come on Danny," Sam said, pulling his hand, and then stopped.

A blue mist escaped his lips.

"Now?" They both said at the same time, and then blushed.

"Come on," Danny said, then they ran into the next door sporting goods store, and Danny darted behind a stand of a deer and heavy artillery before going ghost. He then turned intangible and started looking around, and so did Sam to the best of her ability.

'Now where is that stinking ghost?' Danny wondered.

A middle-aged man with his son was studying the knives in a showcase.

"Wha' are thos, papa?" The little boy said.

"That's a dagger, Henry."

"A…draugur(1)?"

"Yes that's right, a dagger…ahh! It's a ghost!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, then grabbed his son's hand and ran away.

"Yes, fear me! For I am the world's greatest hunter, whether in the ghost zone, or on Earth!" A heavily armored ghost said loudly, laughing heartily.

"Fear this, tin head!" Danny Phantom said, firing an ectoplasmic blast at him.

'Ok, that banter was really lame…'

"Is that the best you have, whelp? If so, this fight won't be long at all!" The ghost gloated.

"Who are you anyway?" Danny asked.

"I am Skulker, the greatest hunter ever! Now run as you might, for even if you are made of gingerbread, I can always catch you! No really I can, I ate him last week!"

"Lame!" Danny said, then fired an array of blasts, which successfully knocked him back.

"I knew I should have fully charged my suit…" Skulker muttered.

"Now it's time for you to…Darn, I forgot the thermos!"

"For what, your soup? It's not lunch time, you know."

"Well what does this indicate?" Came an unsuspected voice, then the whiz of a knife.

It cut through the air and pierced Skulker's armor on his right side. A spark emitted from the area that was hit.

"Never again will I be so careless!" Skulker cried.

"Now you are the new target, Skulker, not the other way around," Danny said, then powered up his blasts before shooting dead on.

The onslaught continued for a few minutes, until Skulker's armor was ragged and sparking.

"I'll be back, whelp. And next time, I won't forget to recharge my armor." Skulker said, then pushed a button on his suit then disappeared.

Danny turned back to normal, then turned to face Sam.

"Well, that was easy."

"Too easy, if you ask me."

"Well, tomorrow's Friday the thirteenth."

"Oh joy. Well," Sam said. She grabbed Danny's arm and looked at his watch. "It's too late to go to the protest. Walk me home…?"

"Sure Sam, anytime."

They smiled, then took the short route back home. But first, they would stop by the Nasty Burger. Well, at least nothing else had changed, for now…

5 more reviews until I update! Have a nice day everyone!

1.draugur: ghost in icelandic.


	14. Ch13: Whammy of Bewitchment

A/N: It's about time that I updated. I was pondering on how long this story will end up being. It might turn out to be pretty long, hehe. Well, I hope everyone enjoys this latest chapter!

Note: Everyone get the title? I have a huge grin right now…lol. This is my best title I've made yet…I think.

The Best Gift Ever: Chapter 13: Whammy(1) of Bewitchment

Oh, what a lovely day at the amusement park. All of the students had gotten out at 1:30 PM today on account of Mr. Lancer convincing the principal to do so. It did cause the students to be wary about what _he_ had planned to do with the extra time, and what he had exactly said to Ms. Ishiyama to get her to end school early, but they made no comments on it, for they could use the free time. Maybe they could catch that new ride at the local amusement park, which they did.

Currently, all the students, from all ends of the scale, were at the park, involved in their individual amusements. Danny, Sam, and Tucker had just gotten off the new ride.

"That was so awesome!" Tucker said.

"Oh yeah," Danny agreed.

"And then you guys are going to say…" Sam said, and then put up her hands to make quotation marks. "Let's go again!" She mocked how they would sound.

"Oh come on, Sammy? I know you liked it," Danny said, but failed to convince her.

"Are you joking? I hated it! It wasn't fun at all…I had to sit in the back where you guys weren't, and the guy that sat next to me kept trying to…" She trailed off.

"You're just mad that you didn't get to sit next to Danny," Tucker said, then immediately regretted it, and not mostly because of Sam's glare.

"Tuck," Danny said. "You know that's not it. You know as well as I do that any of us would not be comfortable if we were sitting with someone we didn't know, away from each other…exempting the fact that if it was a hot girl, you'd be very comfortable, Tucker."

Tucker blushed at that. "Not necessarily…" Tucker said to his defense.

"Ok, if you decide to go on the ride with us again, I promise that I'll sit next to you, ok?" Danny said, turning to face Sam.

Sam thought about it for a moment. "Umm…"

The two boys each gave her a pleading look, and went into the begging stance.

"Puh-lease?"

"Hm…ok. But you better keep your promise Danny."

"Of course. I wouldn't break it for the world."

"Hey Danny," Tucker said, looking around. "Where's Jazz, anyways? She dropped you off here, and promised she'd be back to ride with us around 4. And it's that time right now," he said, eying his watch.

"She's probably off again with that stupid boyfriend of hers…" Danny grumbled.

"Talk about pale. He's about as pale as a g-"

"Ghost? I know. And I think he is, but I'll have to make sure."

"You can't go suspecting everyone that gets close to Jazz, Danny," Tucker advised.

"I know that," Danny said. "But my ghost sense went off when he came through the door. And it doesn't go off for no reason at all. He has to be one."

"Ok Danny, I'll trust your feeling. Anyways, here they come now," Sam said.

They saw Jazz and her new boyfriend walking towards the ride.

"Jazz," Danny called. "Why didn't you call me? I was waiting for you…"

"Who's this?" her boyfriend said, scowling.

"That's my adopted brother, Danny," Jazz said emotionlessly. "Now let's get on this new ride, I heard it's great!" She said excitedly.

"Who knew Jazz was this rude?" Sam said under her breath.

"She's acting weird…" Danny said quietly to himself. "I'm going to see what's up with her."

Sam was close enough to hear him, so she said, "Be careful, ok?"

"Ok," Danny said, then saw them move further into the line where they were inside the building. "Be right back."

Danny dove into some nearby bushes and went ghost.

'I hope you do,' Sam thought. 'If he is a ghost, he'll be stronger than any of those other ghosts that you've faced.'

T-T-T-T-T

Danny Phantom, invisible, flew over where Jazz and her new boyfriend were.

"I'll be right back, Kitten. Save my stop for me," he said, and then walked out of the line.

Danny followed him until he went near a corner. There, he took a ring out of his pocket.

"What are you doing, Johnny?" A voice emitted from the ring, then a face of a female ghost appeared on its surface.

"I'm gaining the girl's trust."

"Hurry up and give her my stuff. I want to be with you. I want to have her place in this world."

"Be patient. After this, we'll go to the park, and there I'll give her the ring."

"Ok. You better do your job Johnny. And don't let Shadow get into any trouble."

"I know what I'm doing, babes. See you soon."

After that, the image on the ring swirled away.

'So either he's a ghost or he just has contact with ghosts,' Danny thought. 'And he and that ghost in the ring want to take my sister's body…wait, did I just think of Jazz as my sister? Oh well…I've gotta stop him before he does anything to hurt my sis-I mean Jazz!'

He darted in, still invisible, and picked up her boyfriend and took him through the wall.

"What are you doing here, kid?" he said.

"I've come to stop you!"

"What are you, the girl's guardian ghost or somethin'? I never knew there was such a thing…oh well. Shadow, fetch!" He said.

'Who's he calling, a dog?' Danny wondered.

Then he saw a giant shadow monster flying towards him.

'Uh…oh.'

He dodged it though in the nick of time.

"Is that the best you've got?" Danny gloated, then was unexpectedly hit to the ground by none other than Shadow.

"Shadow's more powerful than that," Johnny informed him. "Now face bad luck's wrath!"

Johnny focused his power, then Shadow grew five times its size. It roared, and then dived in for the kill. Danny barely managed to put up a shield before getting knocked back to the ground again.

'A shield…that's new,' Danny mused. 'Oh well, I've got to defeat that ghost!'

He got up and started firing ectoplasmic blasts at the shadow, but it just absorbed them and grew even bigger. It growled, then dived right through Danny's body, effectively paralyzing him.

"What…what the heck did you do!" Danny yelled angrily, constantly trying to move.

"Now, finish him off Shadow!" Johnny yelled, giving the command.

Shadow dove in again, swinging back and forth until Danny was battered and ragged. It then powered up a black matter blast and shot it, causing Danny to scream in pain. The torture continued on for a few minutes. After it was all over, Danny could barely keep his eyes open. He felt himself fading.

"You'll never be able to…save that girl…" Johnny said.

Danny could barely hear his voice now.

"Farewell. You are no match for my strength, weakling…"

The last thing he saw before he met the dark was Johnny's fading face…

Just in case one person or more doesn't know what this word means:

1. Whammy: It's a jinx, pure and simple. There's another meaning to this word that also works splendidly with the title, but unfortunately, I don't know it off the top of my head… (is vocab-deprived).

Thanks to crazyvi, dessyweird51, Karen Kano, Jessica01, Black January, Ghostboy814, Jenna Dax, and Spirit Rose for reviewing the last chapter. I appreciate them, a lot!

I will be in a position of being able to update as soon as I get at least 5 reviews…I'm sorry it was so short though…can anybody help me with the fighting scene for next chapter? I really can't write them at all…otherwise you'r going to read this lame fight scene & it will be all because no one helped me…have a nice day everyone!


	15. Ch14: Courage and Strength

A/N: Well, I took a long time to think up what I think might be a good fighting scene, but don't blame me if it's bad. Heh, well anyways, I hope you enjoy this latest installment. There's no other story to look at for me, because this has never been done before (Danny fighting Johnny with little experience. But hey, he fought one ghost, and then beat Skulker at his worst so, where to get it from, I wonder…)

OMG, my poem's going to be published! & it was a suxy poem too…oh well. Gotta find a stamp to send in the confirmation letter…hmm…

Thanks to dessyweird51, Jenna Dax, Ghostboy814, Jessica01, divinedragon7, Black January, passing4insane, and simple.pleasures for reviewing, I appreciate them a whole lot! Here are your pixel-ly cookies, happy chomping!

Happy Reading!

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 14: Courage and Strength

Danny opened his eyes, and found himself face to face with a blazing sun. Immediately, he closed his eyes and rolled over, then finally got up. He found himself in the grass next to an amusement park.

'Jazz!' He thought, remembering. 'I've got to find you!'

With that he sped off, in the direction of the park.

'Maybe they went there…'

It took him about ten minutes to arrive. He searched above tree level until he spotted them, cuddled under a lush tree.

'Gotta get his hands off my sister…why do I keep calling her my sister? Oh well, no time to worry about that…'

He dove down and landed unnoticed on a tree branch. It started cracking as he calculated a plan in his head. He quickly turned back into his human form, and with the added body mass, the tree branch cracked, causing him to crash on the ground right in front of the pair. They immediately broke apart, and a ring fell on the ground. Johnny was too busy staring at Jazz and vice versa, startled, so Danny discretely snatched the ring.

'I guess he won't be able to give Jazz this one piece…wonder what it's for…' he thought, sticking it in his pocket.

Afterwards, Jazz and Johnny turned to glare at him.

"Danny! What are you doing here?" Jazz screeched.

"I…Uh…was looking…for you! I went to sleep in this here tree, and I fell down, and here I am now," Danny drabbled.

"Sure…" Johnny said. "Can he get in trouble for this?" he turned to Jazz.

"Most probably, because I'm their real child, and not some pickup." She said, glaring at Danny.

'Jazz doesn't act like this…it must be the work of Johnny, the Shadow ghost, and that ghost in the ring! Don't worry Jazz, I'll save you…'

CHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHA

"You did what!" Maddie screeched, with Jack backing her up.

Jazz and Johnny were also glaring.

"Maddie, I can explain!" Danny said, cowering beneath their glares. "I was just…"

As soon as Jazz and Johnny turned around, Jack whispered to Danny:

"Good job kid, looking out for Jazz."

"Thanks Danny! Keep up the good work!" Maddie said.

As soon as Jazz and Johnny faced their direction, they pretended to be angry once more.

"And don't do it again!" They said at the same time.

Jazz glared at Danny one more time, then Johnny blew her a kiss goodbye and she stomped in the house, slamming the door behind her. Maddie and Jack turned back to face Danny.

"Danny," Maddie started, "We're going to go to the store, ok? Look out for Jazz, will you?"

"You bet." Danny said, smiling.

They smiled back, then got into the Family's SUV and drove away. Danny watched the car disappear from sight, and then walked into the house, unseen.

Meanwhile, Jazz was on the phone.

"Hey Johnny?" She said.

"Yes Kitten?"

"Wanna come over? You know to _listen _to some _CD's_? My parents aren't home…"

"Yeah, _CDs_. I'll be right over."

'Click.'

Jazz hung up the phone and lay down in her bed, greatly appeased. Little did she know that Danny listened in to the conversation…

In a few minutes, Johnny drove up in his motorcycle. He jumped down from his motorcycle and walked up to the house, then rang the doorbell. Jazz immediately let him in the house. Inside, he was freaking out.

'Where could I have put the ring?' Johnny wondered. 'If I lost it that means that I can't give it to this girl and get Kitty here, with me! It must be somewhere…'

But outside, he played it smooth.

"Kitten?" he said.

"Yes?" Jazz asked, blinking prettily.

"Do you have anywhere more…private?" He said, indicating somewhere where her 'brother' would not be.

"Oh yes, my parent's lab. Come here, I'll show you."

Jazz took his hand. Inside he cringed, but convinced himself that he was doing this for Kitty. Now he missed her more than ever…Jazz led him down the stairs into the basement. Inside, he saw all kinds of assorted ghost hunting equipment.

'Ooo, a portable ghost portal,' he thought, spotting one on the table.

He knew one when he saw one. After all, he had a few run-ins with Walker and his crew of police. He kept a lot in his office, but it was too risky to grab one. And now he had the perfect chance…he snatched it quickly, putting it in his coat pocket. Jazz led him through the whole lab, until they reached the control panel for the ghost portal.

"…And when it opens, the colors are actually pretty!" Jazz said enthusiastically. "To open it, a member of our family has to put their finger on the scanner.

"Will you show me what it looks like? The ghost portal?" he asked. He had to see Kitty again, even if he hadn't found the ring yet.

"I trust you Johnny," Jazz said, then started to put her finger on it, until she heard someone scream:

"Jazz! Don't do it!"

"Huh?" She said. "Danny, what are you doing here!"

Johnny grabbed her hand and slammed her finger against the scanner, and the portal opened.

"Hey, what did you do _that_ for?" Jazz said.

"Get away from him. He's trying to send you into the ghost zone to summon a ghost here!" Danny said, running towards them.

When he was under the bookshelves, Johnny yelled, "Shadow, fetch!", in the process, knocking Jazz over. The jacket and scarf fell off of her.

Shadow appeared, phasing through the bookshelves, which caused them to turn black for an instant, and then fall upon Danny in a heap.

"Danny!" Jazz screamed. "What did you do Johnny?"

Johnny hurriedly grabbed her and forcefully put the clothes back on, which sent her into a daze. Danny phased out of the bookshelves and transformed into his alter ego.

"So you're that ghost…I never would have guessed. Oh well, I wonder what your motive is, but then again, I don't have time for that!"

"So you control Shadow. You're a ghost too?"

"Precisely, and I need this girl to bring my girlfriend here so we can be together! Do you have time to help me find the ring I need to finish it? You must understand…"

'So Johnny's a ghost, the girl in the ring is his girlfriend, and he needs the ring to switch her and Jazz…I get it now,' Danny thought, and then grinned.

"No…but now I know you can't do anything without this!" He said, showing the ring.

"Give that back, kid! Shadow, fetch the ring!" He said, and then Shadow began to chase after him in a whir.

Danny sped away.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

'Ring…ring…ring…'

"Darn it!" Tucker said, then started dialing Danny's cell phone number again.

"Just give up Tucker, he's not going to pick up." Sam said, sighing.

"But what if he's in trouble?"

"Of course he is, that's why he didn't come back!"

"If he did, he could have sparred me getting called 'Bad Luck Tuck'…I am not bad luck!"

"I know, I know. You are in fact good luck."

"Ring…Ring…hello?"

"He picked up!" Tucker said to Sam, and then turned back to the phone at hand. "Man, you don't know how long I've been trying to call you…"

"I need help. Is Sam with you?"

"You are in trouble! And yes, she is."

"Go to the park, and bring the Thermos. I need your skills. I've got a plan in motion to try…"

LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA

Since Shadow was his name, Danny guessed that he would be sensitive to light. It might not work, but then again, if it did, he would be able to suck it up in his trusty thermos. And he could trust Sam and Tucker to bring it and carry through with his plan. After all, they were his best friends, and he hoped for the best. He sped through the sky, taunting Shadow.

"You're not fast enough, nowhere near fast enough, nana, you can never catch up to me, sucker!" He said, sticking out his tongue. His ghost sense kicked off and he turned around, only to come face to face with Shadow, who was lunging in for the kill.

"In one foul swoop, you…" Danny dodged, and then sped forward. "…miss!"

In five more minutes, he had reached the park, with Shadow right on his tail. In an attempt to slow him down, Danny ran him through buildings, parking signs, and even hotdog stands. He hoped that it would still be usable by tomorrow, though, or that would pretty much suck. He flew in towards the middle of the stadium where all the school games would be played.

'Boy, I hope Sam and Tucker made it in time…'

He found Johnny already in the middle of the field.

"Nice try kid. Don't ever try and double cross me. You're going down. Now to finish you off, for the second time!"

Shadow dove in again, and then Danny said, "Not this time!"

'I hope…"

To his extreme pleasure, the stadium lights turned on, and Shadow froze in its tracks, screeching in pain.

"Catch!" He heard Sam yell out, and he turned around and caught the thermos.

Danny turned around and opened the thermos, then activated it, effectively sucking Shadow inside its confinements.

"No, my power!" Johnny said. "I have to flee!"

"Never again, Johnny. Here's your ring," he said, throwing the ring at Johnny, effectively conking him on the side of the head. "And bye-bye you go! Have a nice life with your new wife!"

Danny sucked him in the Thermos.

"Well that's settled…" he said, then landed in the middle of the stadium, turning back into his human self.

Tucker and Sam ran towards where he was standing.

"Danny, you did great!" Sam said, hugging him then kissing him on the cheek without being aware of what she had done. "I'm so proud!"

Danny blushed. "Uh…thanks Sam!"

Tucker snorted. "Lovebirds…"

"Are not!" Danny and Sam yelled, glaring at him.

"Are too! I swear, if you guys turn out to be related I will be seriously grossed out. You guys are way too mushy."

"And we're not related!"

"Just kidding! Anyways, it was a long day."

"Yeah…" Sam said. "Let's go home. Danny, you're going to walk me, right?"

"Of course," Danny said, smiling. "And don't forget about that ride I owe you."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sam said, smirking.

"Lovebirds…" Tucker muttered.

"Tuck!" They said.

"I get it; I get it…well tomorrow's the weekend! Oh Wonderful weekend!"

"Yep indeed," Danny said, putting his hands behind his head. "Yes indeed…"

And they walked to the park exit, not noticing the red glare emitting from the bushes…


	16. Ch15:Halloween Weirdness

A/N: Ok finally my writer's block for this story has been cured! All thanks to…writing all those stories!! I'm so sad, so many people are dying…I wish I could stop at least 20 of the deaths, but I don't even have that much power. But with everyone's help, we can! Heroes! That show's awesome! Wee…

Thanks to all the 12 people (Jenna Dax, Jessica01, KILLERGRIM23, Beyonce's Angel925, Black January, Karen Kano, Ghodtboy814, xwhitexhouses, dessyweird51, Gilgamesh, xheartkreuzx, kris123) that weren't lazy & reviewed. Oh yea, & I did change my username for like a day. Heh. I think a lot of my old reviewers are really mad at me…I hope you all still review, if u are still reading this. I took a long time…

Disclaimer: U know it! I only own things I make.

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 15: Halloween Weirdness 

Danny was peacefully sleeping until something or someone pushed him forcefully off the bed.

"Hwut?" He said, surprised and filled with sleepiness. "Sam? Ugg…Jazz!" He was finally fully awake, so he got up and glared at his attacker, who with her red hair and blue eyes was crossing her arms and glaring straight back. "Didn't I tell you not to wake me up like that? Can't you just tap me like everyone else?"

"But then it wouldn't be so much fun, Danny! Besides, you slept through your alarm. Hurry up and get ready or you'll miss the bus."

"Next time, can you please wake me up when you wake up?" Danny whined, exasperated. "It's only fair."

"You're not a baby, Danny, so I shouldn't have to treat you like one," Jazz said, smirking, and then left the room.

"Stupid Jazz, always being such a priss," he muttered, before getting up to get dressed quickly. "And this is the second time this week that she's done this. Waking me up on Sunday…and at 3 AM! I couldn't go back to sleep and it turns out that she was supposedly 'sleepwalking'! The nerve!" He continued ranting until he had to stop talking to brush his teeth. After he finished, he stomped down a few stairs, ran back up to his room to retrieve his backpack, and then walked back all the way down the stairs angrily. He was surprised to see Jazz sitting there. "Aren't you supposed to be at school Jazz?" he spouted angrily.

"No. I don't have to leave until like, four hours later."

"What?" He was officially surprised. "Wait, why did you wake me up this early in-"

"Yes I woke you up early. Now don't be cross, enjoy this! It'll never happen again, that's for sure. I just felt nice today…"

"Ok Jazz," he managed, officially weirded out. "I wonder what kind of cereal is still around, since I might as well just stay up…" Danny walked into the kitchen only to see Jack and Maddie experimenting on a piece of popcorn. "Jack…Maddie! That's a perfectly good piece of food, and what may I ask are you doing to it?!"

"I saw this bug…" Maddie started.

"I think it was lice or a flea," Jack added.

"…and now I think this bug…"

"…Whatever it is!"

"…is eating the popcorn. So we are observing its behavior."

"It can't be any of those things," Danny said. "Don't they feed off of blood or hair or something else like that?"

Jazz chose that moment to come in, saying in that smart-aleck tone of hers, "I didn't know you could comprehend that Danny! I'm proud of you!"

"Hey! I'm not that dumb!" Danny said, trying to dodge her but she ruffled his head anyways. "Ugg, can you stop doing that?"

She blatantly ignored him, continuing, "I think it's a gnat. Don't worry about it Mom."

"But it was smaller than a gnat, I'm sure of it!" Maddie said, staring harder at the piece of popcorn.

"Maybe it's a ghost!" Jack said, glancing towards the refrigerator, longing for the fudge that waited inside its chilly doors.

"Anyway," Danny started. "I hate to interrupt your debate, but I'm kind of hungry now so is the cereal edible?" He eyed the cocoa puffs hungrily.

"If you mean we didn't experiment on it, don't worry, we did nothing to it." Maddie said, waving her hand slightly. Jazz sighed. Danny grabbed the cereal and poured himself a huge bowl full of it.

"Keep that up and you'll be eating all day, Danny," Maddie warned, before turning back to the popcorn.

"Ugg," Jazz growled. "It's going to be such a long day…"

TBGOA----------------------------------------------------------------------TBGOA

"Hey Danny," Sam said, chewing on a celery stick at the lunch table. "Are yo going to the dance on Tuesday?"

"Why's there a dance on Tuesday? Isn't that a school day?" Danny said clueless, picking at his fries. He had eaten too much cereal all morning, but he had nothing better to do. As a result, he couldn't eat. Sam was bothering him, complaining that he was becoming anorexic or something.

"Duh! But it's Halloween so…are you coming?"

"I guess not…why?"

"Come with me! Tucker's going with some girl from another school, isn't that right Tuck?"

"Yes…" Tucker stated, putting his hamburger down. "But she's not just some girl. I had to fill out permission paperwork for her; she was worth every minute filling out those forms!"

"Yes, Tuck, and we're very happy for you," Danny said, smiling. "I guess I'll come with you then Sam."

"Good," she said, then turned to Tucker. "So…what'cha guys going to be for Halloween?"

"I'm going to be a mad scientist just for fun," he said, chuckling. What about you, Danny?"

"I don't know." Danny said, shrugging?

"You don't know? Halloween is like tomorrow! But don't worry; I'll have an idea for you by tomorrow."

"It's ok, really Sam."

"No don't worry about it, ok?"

"Ok I guess…"

After a moment of silence, Danny picked at his food while Tucker and Sam stared.

"Man, are you sick or something?" Tucker asked.

"No, I'm fine," Danny said, trying to assure their troubled minds. "I'm just not very hungry today."

"Ok…" Sam said, raising her eyebrow.

"Really! I had too much for breakfast."

"Let's change the subject," Tucker suggested, seeing the staring contest emerging from his two best friends.

"Fine," they said simultaneously.

TBGOA-----------------------------------------------------------TBGOA

The next day, Danny was especially tired. His internal clock woke him up at twelve o' clock AM, just before the phone rang. He picked it up tiredly.

"Yes?" He said, trying to rub the sleep out of his half-closed eyes.

"Danny! This is you, right?"

"Duh…Sam? Why are you calling me?" And soon he added, "At this hour? Are you mad?!"

"No. I was just telling you…I got you a costume so I'll be over to give it to you."

"What? What is it?"

"You'll see…" Danny snorted, so Sam continued. "No really, you'll love it?"

"What?"

"You get to be a Johnny 13! Now isn't that rich?"

"You are joking, right? I swear, I don't look good in a greasy hairdo…"

Sam laughed. "You get to be a murdering baseball player."

"What?" Danny said, snorting again.

"Come on, you get to have a baseball bat with spikes!"

"Fine…just because it has spikes."

"Good! I'll be right over! Uh oh, why does mom always sleepwalk right by my room?" She whispered the last sentence. "Gotta go, I'll be there by one o'clock at the latest."

'Click'

A few minutes later, Danny snuck down to the front door, and went intangible. He waited a few minutes until he saw Sam walking towards his doorstep, then grabbed her and pulled her to his room.

"I swear, I'm never going to get used to that," Sam said quietly.

"Anyways, you brought it right?"

"Yeah, it's in here." She whispered. "Just remember, we're going to put our costumes on at the dance to surprise everyone. That way, everyone will think we didn't dress up but we really did, then we get to rub it in their faces."

"Did I ever tell you that you're a genius at diabolical plans?" Danny asked, grinning amusedly.

"On my tenth birthday. Now I've gotta go before my Dad wakes up and has a craving for tea, then walks by my room and sees I'm gone." She then ran down the stairs and out of the door, making sure to stop and close it behind her before running once more.

"Heh," Danny said, shrugging. "She charms me so…now let's see if I can go back to sleep…Wait, when did her dad get cravings for tea?"

IT'S------------------------------------------------------------HALLOWEEN

Danny barely got back to sleep when his "adopted" sister most charmingly woke him up.

"Oh Danny," she whispered in his ear. "WAKE UP!!!!"

"Ahhhhh!" Danny said, popping out of his bed. "Stop doing that Jazz! Argh, I think you've busted my eardrum…ouch." He started rubbing his ear like mad.

"Don't you have a costume?" She said, dressed like a doctor. She always dresses like a doctor every Halloween, from what he heard from Maddie. Maddie told him though, that she wished that Jazz would changed up once and a while. What Danny didn't get though, was that all Jazz had to do was add a little blood to it. Just a bit…wait, Sam gave him fake blood, maybe at the party he could help her out…nah.

"Yea, just not going to put it on yet. Did Maddie say whether we could go to the dance or not yet?"

"She said we could. By the way…I am so jealous of you in the fact that you can call my parents by their first names!"

"It's not so much. It's not like I'm their real child anyways," Danny said with a slight frown. He did feel something of a connection to his adopted parents though, but he didn't quite recognize what it was. It was deep-seated though, that's for sure.

Jazz frowned as well. "Come on, get dressed!" she said eventually. "We have to go in fifteen minutes, so in that time I'm out the door. I'll drive you if you want."

"Really?" This was the first time she had offered to take him to school.

"Only if we're running late and you weren't ready when your friends get here." The doorbell rung. "Oh well, they're here. Guess I'll be driving you." She walked out of the room and down the stairs.

"Cool," Danny said, grinning. It was almost like she was really his sister…almost. He put on his clothes.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Danny ran into the classroom and sat down just before the bell rang, panting.

"Well, you're barely on time today, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said with an elusive glare. "At least you won't miss any part of my lesson today. Now let's get started…"

Danny kept zoning out, his gaze turning to his friends as they were actually paying attention to the lesson. He sighed then started taking notes.

Surprisingly, his ghost sense didn't go off for the rest of the school day. He went into the bathroom to change into his costume, and then met with Tucker and Sam outside the gym.

"Now I feel dumb," Danny said when he got there. Sam was another vampire and Tucker was a mad scientist as he stated the day before.

"Why?" Sam said. "You look fine. It doesn't matter what they think of you. It only matters what I-we think of you. And we think you look fine. Right Tuck?" Tucker nodded and winked knowingly at Sam. Danny most obviously didn't catch her mistake, which made her blush even harder out of inner embarrassment that she almost gave herself away. Tucker raised his eyebrow, and Sam glared back at him.

"Thanks Sam. You guys are the best as usual," Danny said, smiling.

"No problem bud," Tucker said. "Now let's get in there."

DANCEDANCE-----------------------------------------------------------REVOLUTION

It was hilarious to Sam how many complements they had gotten, surprisingly. It was like she had conquered the whole school, and she was _loving_ the authority. Well, at least she was being in character for her costume. Tomorrow she would be over criticizing, but that was what he loved about her. Wait, he didn't mean _love_, he meant _liked_. There ya go. She really got out of her character when she got a sip of the over-sugared punch. She didn't leave the punch bowl until about ten minutes later, when all the extra sugar she gulped down repeatedly in that time kicked in fully. She was very high indeed. Then she grabbed Danny and made him dance with her for a very long time. Tucker was having a chat with a torn Valerie, cheering her up enough to go back out there and dance with another guy. The only reason why he hadn't demanded to dance with her himself was because of his sidewalk accident while helping Danny fight the ghost wolf. He wouldn't be walking right for another week, though no one noticed the change in his posture, which spared him a making-fun-of by the willing Casper High's many bullies. Of course, Danny could hardly watch what was going on as he was too caught up dancing with the hyper Sam, which was very odd. She was holding him so tightly he sweared that he would be permanently red for the rest of the day at least.

When the dance was finally over three hours later, Sam had returned to the punch bowl to drink the remaining punch and Danny and Tucker had to team up to drag her out of there.

Tucker was trying to joke around, saying "no more blood for you, vampire," because he was trying to play off of the fact that the punch was dark red. All he got was a glare from Danny, and a disappointment from himself that the joke of the moment sucked. Tucker went home and Danny had to take her home in her current state. He was lucky that her parents could see that she had too much sugar and didn't look so high anymore. She still was acting really funny though, so he hightailed out of there before her parents started to ask questions.

When he finally got out of his costume, all cleaned up, and in his pajamas he barely made it back to his room; he was that tired. He flopped onto the bed and went to sleep without going into the covers. Unknown to him, an armor-clad ghost was glaring angrily at him through his window. Suddenly, something on its arm rang. It pushed a button on its arm and said roughly "Hello boss. What's wrong?"

"Why would you think something was wrong?" The voice on the other end said. "Of course something's wrong. I want that boy in my hands. He is rumored by the ghosts to be one of three keys to ultimate power. He must be taken."

"How can I do that sir? This house has a ghost shield around it!"

"You won't, you dimwit! The Lunch Lady will take care of it tomorrow."

"Ok…so you want me to rouse and inform her of the plan."

"You've caught my drift. Well, I leave it to you Skulker, don't fail me."

'Click'

Skulker grinned and said to himself, "Oh, I won't…"


	17. CH16: Change is Everything

A/N: Today's the day when I began this story! & u know what that means…

Thanks to all 5 reviewers (Ghostboy814, FernClaw, Raidon Phantom, PotterPhan21, ghostanimal) for not being lazy & reviewing! Now for the story…

The Best Gift of All:Chapter 16:Change is Everything

He woke up to a thud, and then found himself face to face with glowing eyes. He almost popped five feet in the air. His mouth was agape.

"Do I shock you much?" the metal face said.

"Uh-wuh…you're a ghost!" Danny had finally snapped to his senses.

"Or I could just be a figment of your imagination, ghost boy," it said.

"You are!" Danny transformed into his alter self. "Fight me!"

"At this hour?" It yawned, if it could. "You must be joking. Now if you allow me to bring you quietly to my master…"

Danny blinked twice, and then his ghostly eyes adjusted to the dark instantly. "It's you…are you joking?"

"About what?" Skulker said, facing him.

"Fighting me. I've beaten you once before."

"When I was at a significantly low power level, I can assure you. Face me at my current strength, and I will be found superior."

"Yeah right!" Danny snorted, and just then he received an uppercut, sending him flying back against the ceiling. "Oww…obey gravity laws, please?"

"Silly boy. Just come quietly."

"One punch proves nothing," Danny said arrogantly, blasting an ectoplasmic ray at him. It dissipated as soon as it hit Skulker's armor. "How-"

"I'm much more powerful than you think, child. This is such a waste of time…"

"I doubt it!" Danny fired off a few more blasts, only to have them dissipate as well. "What do you have up your sleeve…?"

"New armor. Do you like it?" Skulker showed off a crafty grin. "Made it myself, as usual."

"I don't care!" Danny closed in, only to get squatted away like a fly. "Guh…"

"Come quietly…"

"Loser," Danny spouted. He needed to figure out how to beat this guy. He blinked twice. 'Stupid nighttime fogginess of the mind! Guh…'

All of a sudden, it clicked. He grabbed his cellphone off the dresser and dialed the hotkey.

"What are you doing?" Skulker said, turning around.

"…ring…Hello?"

"Bring your gear to my house, I need help," was all Danny could say before Skulker blasted it.

"Hey!" Danny said, but then smiled. That was all he needed to say.

"Why don't you just give up, ghost child?" Skulker said. "I dominate here. You cannot defeat the ghost zone's greatest hunter who's ever died!"

"Were you ever living?" Danny muttered.

"I heard that! Anyways…"

He was interrupted by a water bottle being thrown at him. Water spilled all over him.

"Who did that?" He spouted, before turning.

It was Sam.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Danny said, awed.

"I just happened to be in the neighborhood," Sam said, winking. Then to Skulker she said, "Ever heard of an electric shortage?"

"What does that have to do with-"

She brought up a flame torch and fried his suit.

"What did you do that for!" he screeched.

She took out the Thermos and sucked him in.

"Thanks Sam!" Danny said, taking a breather. "You're always there when I need it."

"Your welcome." She said.

"Now what were you going to do with that flame thrower?"

"I had to burn some weeds." She said, winking.

"Sure…thanks Sam."

"You already thanked me," she said, blinking.

"But really…you're the best friend anyone could ask for!"

"Really? Naw…" Sam said shyly.

"No really. But I wanted to ask you…" Danny looked down, his hair covering his face. "…if you wanted to be more."

The night sky was very glorious, and at late October, snow started to fall. Christmas would be coming soon: reminiscing the past, and with new memories sure to follow.

THE END


End file.
